Get a good look and a final taste now, folks, because the summer is almost over here at the Delaware shore.
Last year, about this time, I was waxing reflective about all the things I forgot to do before summer was over and it was too late.
Well, there was time to get in a last few shrimp salad sandwiches at McCabe’s Gourmet Market, which only closes a couple months out of the year, but I never got around to a final visit to the Funland amusement park in Rehoboth Beach before it was shuttered until summer had arrived again.
This year, summer’s not even over yet and I’m already kicking myself.
For instance, I only went to the Bethany Beach Farmers’ Market four Sundays, instead of every single one of the eight times they were open.
While our local farmers have struggled with drought this year, taking some lazy Sunday mornings meant I missed out on a few valuable opportunities to enjoy fresh local corn and pick blueberries right off the vine and peaches right off the tree, not to mention some priceless mama-and-me time experiencing those unique things with my son.
I can’t get those opportunities back, but we’re already looking forward to 2008 and the market’s reopening, along with our local produce seasons.
However, I have caught wind of the end of summer earlier this year, and I’m planning on relishing every bit of it until it truly is over.
Funland, clear the way — we’ll be up for a visit before you start cutting your hours back on Tuesday, and then close things up on Sunday, Sept. 9. (Oh, how sad that makes me to even say it!) Go ahead and pack those stuffed animals so tightly that a hungry falcon couldn’t pluck one out. I’ve got a pocket full of quarters and you haven’t beaten me yet!
Of course, I also have half a pack of ride tickets left to use and a son who has only begun to learn the joys of ball pits, carousels and dark rides. We’ll work on that as well in the coming days, and grab some saltwater taffy while we’re there.
And with mini-golf back in Bethany Beach, I’m sad to say we haven’t been to play yet. This is another family tradition that I hope will stick around for us to enjoy as my son grows up. All the courses of my youth are long gone — not in favor of bigger and brighter courses but just simply gone, replaced by other businesses and residences.
I also find myself hoping that won’t be the fate of Trimper’s Rides down in Ocean City, which seems to be closer this year than ever to bowing under the pressure of taxes.
There’s always talk that someone will come in and take over from the Trimper family. I hope they’ll find a way to stick it out, or at least hand over the reins of another great local tradition to those who can safely shepherd it for generations to come. In the meantime, a trip to O.C. seems to be in the offing, just to make a few more summer memories.
After that extended hot spell a couple weeks ago, the weather has certainly cooled down lately. But it isn’t so chilly yet that I’m not going to get in at least a few more visits to the beach this year.
Thanks be to the photo-op gods that I got a picture of my boy building sandcastles with grandpa during my parents’ beach vacation this year. It continues a long line of family photos on the shores of South Bethany. But would that we had more time overall to just go to the beach, stroll on the sand, pick up seashells, take a swim and listen to the ocean. That’s on the list here before it gets much colder.
While we’re there, there’s time to stop in again at Rhodes 5 & 10 for some toys to keep the kids — big and little — occupied. (I’m going to be scoping out some prospects for end-of-season sales on next year’s beach chair, too.)
What is it about the beach that it just automatically goes with food?
Frozen custard… Shave ice… Make-your-own sundaes at Candy Kitchen… Boardwalk fries… Clam strips… Tuna salad sandwiches on the beach at noon and a breakfast sandwich on fresh toast to start off the day overlooking the ocean.
Oh, but that just serves to remind me that I’m already looking forward to some of the “locals” specials that will be starting up again in the next few weeks at some of our area restaurants.
Well, not so fast… One last stop in at South Bethany Seafood for some seafood bisque and some fresh fish and crustaceans steamed to perfection. And, yes, if Bootsie’s Bar-B-Que is your shrine to summer food, time is running short for you, too.
For that matter, time’s running short to take the kids crabbing or fishing before school is in full swing again. And after this year, you’re going to need a license to do that anyway. So grab up the string, bait and net, or rod and reel, and get out there.
While we’re out enjoying the beach this week, before the unofficial end of summer, it’s a great time to thank the people who keep us safe out there — the lifeguards who watch us and our kids.
One of the great joys of the end-of-summer celebration that is the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is the sidebar tradition of the lifeguards’ celebratory swim. It’s an event most of the town’s summer visitors never get to see, since they’re here only for a week or two during the height of the season.
But beyond the simple nature of calling the summer basically a done deal, the lifeguards’ Labor Day celebration truly represents what the end of summer is about for those of us who live and work here: reveling in the fun we had and welcoming with joyous relief a time when there’s not quite so much weight on our shoulders, not quite so much of a rush to get everything done.
Ah, the joys of filling the mind with all the fun of summer and then just taking a deep breath to cement those memories before exhaling into the relaxation that is autumn at the beach.
So, when’s Sunfest? You say the Boardwalk Arts Festival is next weekend? Hmm… How about that Celtic Festival? SeaWitch?