In early August, concrete sidewalks rub warm against bare feet, breezes fan sweat against the hair that hangs down my back, and not even a teenage boy can eat an ice cream cold fast enough before it drips. In early August, my body relaxes even when the wind rises, because it’s just warm air and more warm air, smelling like pine needles and asphalt and ripened fruit.
Going to Southern Sunshine State meant experiencing a bit of August four months early. Summer thunderstorms rolled through the area, waking up the sleepy alligators and drenching the anhinga who had been holding out her lovely feathered laundry. But the storm came and went, and the next day, sunshine warmed the benches and the roadways along the coastal islands. As we waded in the shallow warm water, we could see little fish swimming up to our toes.
Going to Southern Sunshine State meant experiencing a bit of August four months early. Summer thunderstorms rolled through the area, waking up the sleepy alligators and drenching the anhinga who had been holding out her lovely feathered laundry. But the storm came and went, and the next day, sunshine warmed the benches and the roadways along the coastal islands. As we waded in the shallow warm water, we could see little fish swimming up to our toes.
5 comments:
I could use a bit of August right about now.
"Come to the water...."
Evocative image and words.
I promise you your August is not the same August we have.It's unforgiving.
It is almost always Northern August in the South. However, real August in the South is the WORST. I almost get heat stroke thinking about it!
This post was so evocative, Jo(e). I could smell the summers of my childhood when I read it.
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