Having survived our tenacious four day "heatwave", we're back to situation normal in these parts. Perfectly comfortable and reliable sunshine fill the calendar as we are forced to wring every last drop of pleasure from its grasp. If it weren't for July, the state of Maine would be all but void of inhabitants. July is so good that it can reboot an entire population, wiping their memories clean of what happened to them a few short weeks ago. Remember? When that absolutely frigid winter ran so far into spring that you began checking house listings in Brazil? Then those spring rains came and pushed so far into May that you hadn't realized it was actually already June. Remember?
Nope, these are the days when anything is possible. We can head west into the mountains of Northern Appalachia and neither completely freeze, nor be carried away by insects of the ferocious biting variety. A tiny window of comfort in some otherwise seriously rugged terrain. We may opt to venture to the fabled coastline, where the unforgiving waters of the North Atlantic briefly allows swimmers into its fold without numbing them, mind to toes.
Perhaps the biggest thing about July in Maine...it's no secret. As the population swells with camp kids and tourists, we are left darting down unmarked back roads made of dirt to avoid the main arteries at all costs. Cruise ships, tour busses and family wagons bringing people by the score to enjoy and share in the joy of our land in this, its most comfortable state.
So, yesterday as the mercury peaked at a most lovely 80 degrees Farenheit, we stayed home!
We walked among growing things and remarked at all that we didn't know. Then we named a few that we did.
We held on and wondered. We let go.
We took a day to ourselves among the flurry of summertime living where the lists of things we hope to do are long and the schedules busy and full. Yeah, our plans for July are concocted around the fireplace on those dark winter nights we've now long forgotten. There's no way to complete all of our warm weather tasks. No way to visit all of the sites we highlighted on our worn-out map. But it's July. In Maine. It's really here and it's right now.
In about a month (Amanda says a week) the wind will shift. Even on hot days there will be a strange hint of cool wafting past that won't register on the thermometer but will be felt in our bones. The beginning of the end of our brief season of Sun. But that season is so good. So perfect. And we're in the thick of it.
There's only two seasons in Maine...Winter. and Fourth of July!
~ Old Timer Saying
