Friday, August 3, 2012

Summer's Swan Song

Happy Friday!  I have been reflecting on the change of the season.  While we still have many hot days left here in New England, I can't help but to be reminded of the impending autumn.  Dead give-aways are the sound of locusts in the trees in the day time and the ever present sounds of the northern Katydids at dusk.  This time of year their song is fast and furious.  By late fall, you may hear one or two singing a slow song, and then as the cold sets in nothing.  My vegetable garden is in full swing - with tons of zucchini and finally the first of my tomatoes ripening on the vine.  This was a new project of mine with my daughters and son.  So far, we have had fun with it.  My yard has tons of crab grass, and when driving down the road, you can actually see a tree here or there with a hint of color in it.  In our surrounding waters, the fishing is really firing up, and under the water, the first hints of our tropical visitors are arriving.  Along the east coast of New Jersey as far up as Cape Cod - in the warm shallow bays and backwaters, baby tropical fish are thriving and growing.  They get caught up in the Gulfstream every late summer and early fall, and their eggs and larva are deposited along the coast.  Butterfly fish, damselfish, triggerfish and other tropicals are seen while diving the bays, piers and rock jettys.  As the water starts to get cold again in late fall these fish then all die - with the exception of those rescued by divers like myself for display in home saltwater tanks.  Speaking of the tropics, I keep a nervous eye on the weather report - looking for signs that a tropical storm or hurricane might make its way up the east coast - prompting me to head to the boat to secure her lines, or worse, have the boat hauled before the storm.  There is still plenty of time to enjoy a pool, beach or boat before the labor day weekend.  Which sadly, to me marks the true end of summer with the kids back in school.  Until then, I intend to enjoy each and every day of these final weeks of summer.

G

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