Last Day of Summer, 2010

The autumnal equinox - the moment when the Earth's axis is perpendicular to the sun, one of the two days per year when day and night are roughly equal - occurs tonight at 11:09 (first grand-babe's day of birth, one year ago tomorrow, coincided auspiciously with this equinox, as will many of his birthdays in years to come). This morning, knowing that today was the official last day of summer, I headed out to take in and grab onto every last bit of it I could find.

It was a glorious morning, and a perfect day for roaming and lolly-gagging - my absolutely favorite kind of day -  with clean, empty streets (happily, I beat the tour bus crowds), with townies galore, including Paul Thurlow, Eddie Smith, Skip Tomassian, Carol Koser, as well as a few others you will see below. It was such a great day to be outside - gorgeous light with an absolutely intoxicating breeze - that I had a hard time dragging myself back indoors.

Tenacious(ly) describes the way in which I am holding onto the summer of 2010.

Great to see Chip Yerkes back in town, walking his beat just as if he'd never left. Chip has moved to Vermont. 

The drooping black-eyed Susan petals also tell us that summer is over for this year.

Memorial Wharf, clean and serene. The absolute coolest place on the planet on even the most sweltering summer day.

Conch pot, Alison Lee

Floyd Norton's fishing shack, and beyond. According to the flag, I'd say the wind was gusting 25-30.

Dahlias always remind me of Howard Andrews, Edgartown's late dahlia czar.

All business at derby headquarters.

Weigh-master, Roy Langley, tags a bluefish.

At Collins' Beach, I found veteran shellfisherman David Berube aboard his scalloper, O'Henry, about to head out to distribute seed scallops for the town.

Can you guess whose little red skiff this is?

A sign of things to come.

Officer Neal Condlin, working the morning Chappy Ferry line.

Where'd all the people go?

Time to pack up.

And clean.

The Federated Church, glistening.

Officer Condlin, back at his usual station, the corner of Main and Summer; the geographic center of Edgartown.

I love Neal, but what I'm really after is his job. How great would that be, standing in the middle of it all, controlling everyone and everything and seeing everyone in town? I guess I kind of miss my school crossing-guard days. But I suspect that controlling Edgartown's summer traffic is a little more involved than getting sweet little children safely across the street. Adnan says I wouldn't last a week.

Bye bye.