It is the weekend before Labor Day and the private planes and helicopters are lined up in order of size at the local airport. The last two weeks of August are steeped in heavy traffic — aircraft, auto, and pedestrian. The morning papers are delivered early, with heavy demand for the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Children done with their summer camps have spilled onto the beaches and tennis courts at the private racquet clubs. The annual Georgica Pond regatta is primed for Saturday afternoon, wind or no wind. The end of summer is filled with cookouts, dinner parties, fundraisers, and other gatherings as the calendar days of August dwindle. The classic goodbyes, “See you in the City,” are uttered along with promises to meet up after Labor Day. I have experienced more than 50 Hamptons summers yet the winding down at the end of August somehow feels the same every year. Like end-of-year celebrations in December, the New Year holiday of Rosh Hashanah in September is the bookend to a festive season.
The evening air is damp and cool. Mornings are sun-up warm. My days follow certain routines: early morning rides to Candy Kitchen for breakfast before any dangerous traffic; food trips to Loaves and Fishes before the line is out the door; stealing an hour to finish summer reading; walks on Georgica Beach before the blankets block your path in all directions.
Fishing in Maine at camp is done for the year — trout season ended last week. The bass are in deeper water now due to the water temperature. A New Year begins for me after Labor Day. It is not just the end of summer celebrations and get-togethers; it is the refreshing change in atmosphere and the promise of new beginnings in the air. I think about the switch to a fall wardrobe and the return to Florida for the season, and about what is ahead in the world: an election is foremost, as well as the end of a recession-like softening of real estate sales. Vaccine education. Watching the grandkids accelerate in their studies. New books for Fall reading.
I think about getting a bigger day sailboat. The restoration of my ’61 Jaguar in Florida is finally moving ahead. Painting classes at the Palm Beach Armory open soon. My drawings and watercolors from summer are ready for teacher review. I will restart regular exercise classes with my trainer, Rich. All good and positive. I am catching up with college friends this week. We regularly check in with each other about family and health status. I will visit with many of them in Florida. My book signing at the East Hampton library is this week, and I am curious who will show up for it — some old friends and colleagues have promised to attend.
I watch the deer on the lawn, the male with their sprouting antlers. The geese have flown south already. The swans have quietly returned to my cove. I move to my library to read the morning paper. There is an autumnal chill this morning and I light a fire in the library hearth. The sun has started to set sooner now. Up ahead in the calendar are some short trips: to Idaho to fish and shoot, a visit to New York City for a concert and Broadway show, and some shopping to pick out a few fall outfits from Chappell. My agenda is as full as my life. And then, of course, I have a big birthday in October. No celebration, only thanks for everything.