It was while the WP Mom and I were out and about this afternoon that the subject of summer came up, or to be more accurate, how summer really doesn’t feel like summer this year.
Yes, the summer weather is here. The farms are growing crops. Beaches are open (for the most part). Boats are out on the lake. Ice cream stands are open and doing a lot of business. But something is missing.
The usual exuberance isn’t there and it feels like people are just going through the motions. Many of the usual summer activities aren’t taking place – summer camps either aren’t opening or are doing so with a lot of restrictions; movie theaters, playhouses, and concert venues have not reopened and those that have have cut back greatly on their schedules and number of shows; Fourth of July celebrations have been canceled, and those that will be taking place will be subdued as compared to previous years.
Our summer has certainly been ‘off’. I have usually been spending a lot of time out on the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout by now. But I can count on the fingers of a single hand how many times I have been out on the lake since The Boat was put back in the water back in May. If it were just me I would chock it up to me just being contrary. But talking to a number of my fellow boaters – about two dozen of them - I have found I am not the only one that has been off-pace. Most of those I asked haven’t been spending nearly as much time on the lake as is usual for them. Some have also stated than when they do go out, they haven’t been out on their boats for nearly as long as they usually are.
We haven’t grilled yet, something very unusual for us. No burgers, dogs, or steak tips. No potato salad. No nothing up to this point.
While we have dined out a couple of times over the past few weeks, once for dinner and once for breakfast, it was under coronavirus precaution conditions. It didn’t feel the same.
Just prior to noon today I ran an errand over the my ex’s place a couple of towns over, repairing an appliance that had stopped working properly. On my way over and back I saw the usual summer attractions around Weirs Beach open and ready for business. The only thing missing were visitors. No one at the arcades. No one on the go-kart tracks. No one taking advantage of the lazy river attractions or mini-golf course. Only a few people on the beach. None of this is what I would ever expect see around here during the week leading up to the Fourth of July. While I didn’t expect the place to be jammed like it would be during a weekend, I expected to see someone taking advantage of the summer attractions. But there was no one in any of those places that I could see.
It was eerie.
It will be enlightening to see how the upcoming Fourth of July Weekend plays out. Will what I’ve observed continue or will summer finally ‘start’?
