Summer Waves Goodby But Summering Lives On

I've traveled different paths each season, 

held onto treasured moments, lingering

in their memories, for they have been

nourishment for my soul. 

©CV, 2017 

As the summer season on Long Island comes to a close, my mind drifts back to the pristine beach where a gentle breeze brings relief from the persistent heat. I hear the roar of the foaming waves singing their summer song, and savor those cherished memories. To preserve the glorious rays of the summer season, I am deep in thought about the design of my summer gallery of artistic expressions, The Art of Summering. There will be a brilliant array of art, poetry, nature/travel photography, digital art, and music inside the gallery SO STAY TUNED for the upcoming unveiling.

A SNEAK PEEK

 of the Gallery Sections:

MUSIC / SCENIC VIDEO

Omar Akram's Dancing With The Wind video that includes dance, instrumental music, and beach scenes swept me away with its breathtaking approach to the art of summering. Since the video showcases global scenes, I added it to #TheArtofSummering Gallery's playlist.

POETRY

Being in a contemplative frame of mind, I captured a stanza from Ramona Behnke's post today and added it to my photo of a Long Island beach to create an #imagepoem / #digitalinspiration.

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

CHILDREN'S CORNER

ART

By Thomas Cooper Gotch submitted by Tabatha Yeatts

DIGITAL ART/ADVERTISEMENT

Many thanks to all the poets, photographers, artists, bloggers, writers, teachers, and students who were interested in offering digital inspirations for The Art of Summering Global Gallery. If you have a digital offering (art, poetry, nature photography, digital art, or music), please send it to me by September 7th.

SPECIAL NOTE:

Poetry Friday friends, please add your links below. I am posting early because my family was invited to an after-Labor Day get-together tonight. I will add comments to my roundup guests' posts tomorrow and throughout the weekend. I wish everyone a joyful weekend!  Carol

My Path

Donna Smith, the host of Spiritual Journey first Thursday chose My Path as her topic for this month. She asked our writing community to ponder how the paths we've taken led us to where we are today. 

Looking back upon my life, I believe there has been an element of choice in the paths I have walked but I cannot say that every pathway has been of my choosing. In many instances, life has intersected my plans and wishes and forced me to take an alternate route. While patience is not my strong suit, I have leaned on faith and hope to guide me through the rocky roads onto a clearing. Within those clearings, I have found that "Learning to live in the present moment is part of the path of joy." (Sarah Ban Breathnach)

Walking on the road of learning

I reflect on a lesson: to

find time to live

mindfully in

the world, to uncover the

brilliance of the present,

the sparkle of a moment-

a single quest that is

accomplished in part

as I inhale the breath of

nature and the richness of the

seasons while traveling a path,

discovering the power of

one limitless word - joy!

©CV, 2017 

Did you notice that the ending word of each line of my poem led to Breathnach's words of wisdom?

***

Another inspirational quote I found to light my path:

"In the summer, the song sings itself."  - William Carlos Williams

I bask in nature's majesty

recalling the lull of ocean waves

roaring in harmony against

the dissonance of seagulls

shrieking across endless sky.

I listen in hushed silence for

summer to sing its waning song.

I linger awhile recalling whirling 

sounds spinning across pathways,

receding shorelines filled with the

echoes of frolicking children.

I listen to nature's sounds without regret.

Summer may pass on but there will be new

pathways of promise appearing ahead.

I've traveled different paths each season, 

held onto treasured moments, lingering

in their memories, for they have been

the nourishment my soul craves. 

©CV, 2017 

***

Writing is a journey similar to the pathways of life I cross. There are detours, revelations, and stops along the way. I often reach a destination and interact in ways not planned before finding a single moment in time to savor. Paths continue to curve; I meander, follow bends, and move beyond boundaries. With grace guiding me, I have learned to grow as a learner of life noticing, wondering, and recording.

***
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
Proverbs 4:26
***
May all !our paths be filled with joy, even the rocky ones that we do not understand. 

***

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. 

Summer's Special Deliveries

I love special deliveries, whether they are a purchase, an invitation to a significant event, new books, thank yous, or the Summer Poem Swap. This summer, I received many special deliveries and greeted each one with excitement. 

In particular, I received amazing gifts from poetry friends. Three poem swaps from Linda Mitchell, Jone MacCulloch, and Margaret Simon came in the mail at various intervals. On two different occasions, I received packages of the book, Great Morning! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud, with my poem, Art Class, included from. These special deliveries came from the fabulous poet/publisher team of Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong.

Just recently, I received my last poem swap from my poetry friend, Margaret Simon the author of Bayou Song, Creative Explorations of the South Louisiana Landscape. You can read my post on the Bayou Song Blog Tour here. Margaret's delivery was a special one indeed. It contained a gorgeous hand-made book with a beaded elastic tie featuring a nature-inspired pin. Accompanying the book was a vivid photograph of a summer sunset that will be included in my summer gallery, "The Art of Summering". Margaret took ideas from my Poetry Friday post of 8/17/18 to create a poem centering on the word linger.

In the photo below, look closely at all the details in Margaret's handmade gift.

Margaret's poetic and DIY talents are evident.

Margaret lifted my word linger that I used in my post and created a poem that captures the spirit of self-care during the summer months. 

The next poem Margaret created is one that I will cherish and recall

as I wander along the beach watching the seagulls soar.

There are different sections of the book with vintage paper, black and white images to color, and plenty of blank paper to write. The interesting part of this book is the variety of vintage pages that will be used as writing prompts.

I appreciate the many poetic gifts that I received this summer.

Special Note: I am collecting digital offerings for my summer gallery, The Art of Summering, this weekend.

Now I am heading over to another poetry friend, Robyn Hood Black's site, Life on the Deckle Edge, who is the host for the Poetry Friday Roundup today. She is sharing some wonderful children's poetry and giving a nod to the Pomelo Books' newest poetry book, Great Morning! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud. 

Making Memories at the Shore

Memories-

snapshots in time

glistening like brilliant jewels

tucked away in hearts 

waiting to be polished

For years, I tucked away my memories in albums, then indexed them in boxes, and finally resorted to unsorted piles. This was not an efficient way to recall lifetime events. The iPhone, has made it much easier for me to capture and store memories. 

Remembering helping my 14-month-old grandbaby set up for this photo taken by my daughter

Years ago when my family went to Disney World, I heard a catchy song, Makin' Memories. As the song says, "Taking pictures is making memories, catching little pieces of time, making them yours, and making them mine...Celebrations we can forget in a year. When we're making memories happiness can reappear." 

Photos do make happiness reappear so last night after returning from my family and extended family trip to Cape May, I diligently edited my photos. Each time I added a new photo, another memory from the trip was recalled. I lingered in those memories that included many shots of my precious little grandbaby at the Jersey shore. 

What memories have you captured with your camera this summer? 

Does each one add to your concept of summering?

Here is my morning Instagram post with one of my memories that was digitized.

It's Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers.

Join me to read what others are slicing about.

Sharing Summer Poetry

A poet is a painter of the soul.
-Isaac D'Israeli

What a beautiful quote this is. Art and poetry are often paired when creating image poems. Can you visualize an array of heart-centered colors swirling and brushing across a page surrounding poetic thoughts?  

Each summer, I enjoy creating poetry with a digital artist's flair
from what I notice and wonder about in nature. 

In addition, I enjoy receiving little nuggets of poems from Poetry Friday's summer poem swappers under the leadership of the creative Tabatha Yeatts and receiving artistic expressions from social media friends for each summer gallery I design. (Summer Serenity, Summer Splashings,  Summerscapes,  Sunkissed Summer, and the upcoming  The Art of Summering) 

Poetry exchanges are one way to stay in touch with poetic friends around the globe and be creative at the same time. When my poet/slicer friend, Jone MacCulloch, emailed that she was sending me a package in the mail, I was ready for one of her vivid photographs but this line that she wrote added a sense of surprise to the expected package. Jone said, "It  (the poetry swap) was inspired by your grandgirl." Are you as curious as I was about what was to arrive? 

While Jone's quote, "Camera in hand/endless paths to wander/words arrive on wings," was not part of the swap, I wanted to include it because it conveys such a powerful message of what Jone's blog offers. Now, it's time for the reveal of what Jone sent me. It was a stunning framed close-up of a bee scattering pollen with a beautiful poem that paints a picture of summertime in action while alluding to my grandbaby's naptime.

With camera in hand, Jone created the following digital inspirations for my upcoming gallery, TheArtofSummering.

Next week, I will showcase Margaret Simon's summer poem swap that I received yesterday.  For now join me at Margaret's blog , Reflections on the Teche, for the Poetry Friday Round-up where she shares some of her Louisiana charms with us. 

On September 7th, I will host Poetry Friday with hopes of having The Art of Summering Gallery ready for an unveiling. Please join my CREATIVE CHALLENGE to create your concept of "summering" digitally.

Tranquility at Water's Edge

When dark clouds rest heavily across a summer sky, many beachgoers are dissuaded from traveling to the shore but today the beach lured me closer.

Was it greying clouds,

the heaviness of forecasted rain,

or a desire to be part of the sea's mystery?

The boardwalk stood still 

against a rushing sea

emptying itself of encumbrances.

Walkers, chatting at a low hum,

strolled its structure.

A solitary bike abandoned

celebrated tranquility.

It was a summer day to

notice and quietly observe.

©CV, 2018, Long Beach, NY

water's edge watches

stretching its ripples of foam -

peaceful accord

©CV, 2018, Long Beach, NY

When was the last time you took time to quietly watch waves move in undulating motion or fall into tranquility's arms? No matter where you live, take time to transport yourself to water's edge, listening to the gentle sounds of nature. 

It's Slice of Life Tuesday at

Two Writing Teachers

*The black and white photography will be shared at #TheArtofSummering Gallery next month.