A WALK TO REMEMBER

The dog days of summer are slowly slipping away. The morning sun doesn't hit the window until well after I am up and headed out the door. The evening chill has arrive before I even walk up the stairs after a long day at work. It seems as though darkness is stealing daylight hours like a clever thief, waiting until your back is turned to sneak in and snatch what little sunlight we have left in our meager possession. The secret is to take advantage of these waning hours and bear witness to the burglary of our summer days. I silently slip on my shoes and a warm jacket and stroll a few blocks down to the beach. Clouds stretch across the sky like a too-short skirt trying to cover up innocence. The sun sinks behind the hills to the west, casting a reflection on the ocean's surface that would nearly blind you if you happen to catch its glare in your unshielded eyes. I stand on the shore, ears filled with the pounding surf, watching my summer slowly slip away right before my eyes. Sea otters frolic in the waves as though they have forgotten school is back in session and there is homework to be done. A chill creeps into my bones as a breeze picks up. Here I stand. Watching a spectacular sunset, feeling the salt breeze on my face, the ocean filling my senses with the last taste of summer.

I wrap my shawl around my shoulders a bit tighter and turn to walk in the hard packed sand near the water. I take my time, counting the crab shells left over from the sea birds messy meal. I stop to watch the sky change colors, from the bright hues of orange and blue to the monochromatic greys and blacks. It is the summer sky changing from day wear into its tuxedo. Slowly the lights of Monterey begin to twinkle, a red one there, a blue one over there.. until the curve of the bay looks as though it has rushed to decorate for the holidays. I drift toward the lights of beach fires and a sense of melancholy sweeps across my back, pushing me closer to winter. I turn one last time to watch as summer slips into the southern hemisphere, stop and say goodbye to all that is summer. As I head for home, I embrace the fog that has crept in over the sea and look forward to the chill of an autumn sunrise.