After the Fourth

Is summer over? Just kidding, I know it's just begun. But you'll be seeing after-summer clearance sales and back-to-school specials soon enough. What's the rush?We had a long, hard winter in New England, so most people couldn't wait for summer. Even spring was chilly by some folks' standards (I enjoyed spring this year - a drawn-out march to late June). Now we're in the middle of a heat wave, and, of course, there are plenty of people complaining. I am of one them, but then again, I wasn't wishing for 90 degrees last March.Yesterday I was fortunate to spend the day on the water, more specifically, Fishers Island Sound, from Mystic to Fishers Island. We spent time in three states: Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York, and it was a sweet escape from the oppressive heat.This morning, I stood at the kitchen sink, washing a pot I was too lazy to clean last night, and I'm sure I noticed a subtle change in the light. Shadows danced against the side of the house, but it looked almost fall-like. No, that couldn't be, not on July 5th. Still eleven weeks of 'technical' summer to go, but you know as well as I that, once we hit August, we're in the wake of summer.