Celebrate a Summer State of Mind

The day opened with a sky filled with bright sunshine. An intense warmth enveloped every living object so when my husband suggested, "Let's go to the beach," we quickly readied ourselves for the short jaunt. While the calendar read Labor Day, the official day the beaches close, we were not ready to say goodbye to summer. Off we went!

Others were not letting go of summer either as evidenced by the packed parking lot. Children were chatting away under the coolness of the outdoor showers and families were unloading their cars with beach paraphernalia. Rows of lifeguard chairs were stacked in the area in front of the dunes.

I paused for a moment to photograph the lifeguard chairs in need of an end-of-summer overhaul, thinking here in the sand lay the hope that summer continues on.

Like a group of pioneers crossing the desert with heavy possessions, beachgoers trudged through the expanse of sand leading to the shoreline. The sun's rays were heating the sand to the point that sandals were needed every inch of the way. I stopped to rest a bit before continuing the heated walk. As my feet sank into the sand, I remembered what a beach medic told me a few summers ago. "Be careful when walking in the sand on a hot day. You can easily get feet burns from the heated sand." 

Once happily situated near the shore, I edged my toes in the sand, enjoyed the breeze whipping past me, and continued to read my beach book, The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner. 

Ah! What can be better than a summer state of mind?

I hope you enjoyed a summer state of mind as I did but like Charlie Brown, 

I say, "Sigh...there goes another summer, Snoopy!"

😎

Slice of Life at Two Writing Teachers

Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres

Labor Day in Rockville Centre

Labor Day is always a festive holiday in my hometown. People celebrate with barbecues at the beach clubs or in their backyards. It is a time for families and friends to gather together, enjoy each other's company, and share remembrances of summer days. Since I live near the Long Island South Shore beaches, beaching is a topic of interest but the significance of Labor Day is usually not remarked upon so I decided to research the history. 

Each holiday or season I place antique postcards from my ephemera collection in the entranceway of my home as a decoration. Since I do not have a specific one for Labor Day, I searched the web and found the following image.

In 1894, Labor Day officially became a national holiday celebrating American workers and the labor movement. As the U.S. Department of Labor says, "It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country." My grandparents, mother, and my husband's father were part of the workforce. I honor and celebrate their efforts. 

"Labour will refresh itself with hope."  

(a line from a vintage card)

One of my poet friends, Diane Mayr, wrote a blog post, "What Work Is," for Poetry Friday this week. You may be interested in reading the poem by Philip Levine that can be accessed  here.

On the beach of Coney Island (1901)

Parades and picnics have marked the passage of time since the turn of the 20th century. Beachgoers flock to the shore for the last days of summer vacation whether it is sunny or not, as noted by the above antique photo card. Beside Coney Island, Jones Beach that opened in 1929 is a popular place for beaching. 

While I thought I would not be a beachgoer today, my husband woke to the thought, "Let's go to the beach." Soon we will head out for the ritual trip to Point Lookout beach and then return to Rockville Centre for the annual Labor Day barbecue at the Rockville Links Club. Each year of my children's lives, we attended the festivities there. This year, my friends invited us to the barbecue that will bring back fond memories of the cotton candy cart, grilled hot dogs, an array of different foods, and a table of rich desserts. Enjoy your Labor Day holiday. I know I will.

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity.

-Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Celebrating Labor Day!

Labor Day is always a festive way to round off summertime. As an American tradition, it is a time for families and friends to gather for barbecues, conversations, and remembrances of summer days. Since this year beaching has been such a glorious event on Long Island, that topic will be one to surely discuss. I've noticed in the past that no one talks about the significance of Labor Day while at barbecues so I thought I would research the history as a point of conversation.

I usually place antique postcards from my ephemera collection in the entranceway to signify the celebration of a holiday. Since I do not have a specific one for Labor Day, I searched the web and found the image to the right. It reminds me that Labor Day was originally created to honor the labor movement in the United States. As the Department of Labor says, "It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country." My grandparents, mother, and my husband's father were part of the workforce and so I honor and celebrate their efforts. The last line of the Labor Day vintage postcard, "Labour will refresh itself with hope," speaks of the positivity arising from America's growth as a nation of laborers. Hope is what moves us forward.                                                                  

In 1894, Labor Day officially became a national holiday, celebrating all that to be honored by American workers. Parades and picnics have marked the passage of time since then. Beachgoers flock to the shore for the last days of summer vacation. Activities that occurred in the past are still part of the Labor Day tradition today. As you can see beaching was always popular in the New York City area.

On the beach at Coney Island (1902)

Today starts the Labor Day weekend on Long Island. There is much to celebrate and many activities and sales listed in the newspaper. Labor Day weekend always seems to be a three-part event in my home. Yesterday on day one, my family and friends took a short jaunt to the Atlantic Ocean as we usually do each Saturday. That beach trip had a different spin though. While walking on the shoreline my friend and I got lost. Can you imagine? Because it was so crowded we lost our sense of direction. The comical part was that another beachgoer knew that we needed help just by the quizzical looks on our faces. We finally found our way back to our spot on the beach just in time to attend the outdoor mass. Day two will be a barbecue with the same friends. I am sure that our story of getting lost will be joked about. To top off the holiday we will attend a modernized version of the old-fashioned community picnic. It will be held at the golf/swimming club we used to be members of during my children's childhood. The barbecue will bring together friends and acquaintances who will enjoy fond remembrances of the past.

Which if any of the activities that I have described will be part of your Labor Day celebrations this year?

Now please visit Ruth Ayres' Celebrate This Week to see how other bloggers have celebrated their week leading up to Labor Day.