End-of-Summer vacation

Swimsuits cleaned and drying, cat and I are both back, and the home I cleaned before leaving for vacation welcoming. All’s well, just wish there was a pool out back. And the sound of surf instead of traffic out front.

I didn’t shop, I just walked and swam and ate and read and wrote little. The one thing I brought back with me is an earache that showed up Thursday night. I suspect it started brewing after my little body-surfing on that glorious 80-degree day, Tuesday. I dislike 80-degree days in the City, but 80 degrees is heavenly out in Montauk. After swimming in the pool, I walked southerly along the shore. The sea was so inviting as I walked past countless navy blue umbrellas on the adjoining beach resort that I turned around so I could peel off my cover-up and drop it with my hat and sunglasses closer to ‘home,’ near the child’s pool in the photo.

I walked against the tide then, and dove into the first wave threatening to break over me. It was cold, but far from frigid. I’m almost glad I wasn’t able to come in May – then the water would have been unbearable.

I body-surfed in, worked my way back out, body surfed again and again until I was out of breath. Showered the sand out in the external shower before I went back on the pool deck to sit and dry in the sun. Monday had been lovely on my arrival, but Tuesday was the perfect summer day.

After swimming again in the pool and before climbing up the stairs to my room, the tide as ever started coming in. Each day the high tides varied between 7 and 8:30, so the beach was at its widest between 1 and 2:30. In the mornings the mark of the last tide was clear.

As the afternoon grew on, one could watch the beach slowly shrink.

Wednesday, as predicted, was cooler, much cooler. I waited for the sun to warm it up a bit, but the northeast wind was wicked. I read all day, inside, outside. Didn’t go into the water at all. But got some great snaps of clouds:

Thursday afternoon I used the ‘video’ function on the Canon, still without skill. Nevertheless, posted to YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2vTOCuJR0w

A very short week – hardly a week, just 4 nights – ending with a pleasant drive back, with one clear thought:

Since I did nothing useful on vacation – and there’s nothing wrong with that – all my work, be it research, writing, editing, outlining, will have to be done as part of my everyday life, as it should be. Nothing to be deferred to ‘when I have more time.’ That’s it, big lesson of the day.

~ MM, turning off the computer, but not the light. I have reading to do.