It’s a wet day here on the southern coast. A lingering tropical system has kept the gulf full of rain and squalls for the past week. But, a cold front sliding down from the north has dropped the thermometer so that it feels tolerable instead of a summer steam. But summer seldom lets go without a fight. Here on Mistress, all is calm with the gentle rocking of the boat punctuated by the occasional splash of a pelican diving into the water and the scream of an F/A-18 Super Hornet flying low above the marina as the Blue Angels are apparently conducting a rare Friday practice.
With the passing of August so also passed the meteorological end of summer. The light has begun to shift orange as the sun slides farther to the south. Vacations have concluded and schools have resumed their classes. Attentions shift to football games, cooler weather and flannel shirts. The beaches and bars are once again mostly for locals and soon to be accompanied those fleeing winter to the north. But for those of us who live nautical lives, it’s also peak hurricane season so we keep a close eye on the weather and long range forecasts. Waiting cautiously for the scale to tip farther towards autumn when we can collectively exhale knowing our boats have survived another year. In the northern latitudes, others are preparing to pull their boats out of the water to be stored for winter, while others eye the turquoise Caribbean waters to the south.
Fall is a season of rebirth.
Of letting go to what was.
Of slowing down.
Of moving forward.
Of transition.
Of crawling out of our dens of estivation.
Of open windows.
Of deep breaths.
Of harvest.
Of color.
Of reflection.
Of horizons.
Soon the threat of storms will soon end here on the Gulf. At least for a while. Winter will have its own challenges. But winter can wait for now.
