Here it is the end of August and once again, summer has slipped through our fingers. The nights are cooler and the days are shorter. Where did those lazy, hazy days of summer go? I think they slipped away with my youth, or maybe just with the fast paced life we all seem to be caught up in now, young or old.
The trees in our back yard, which we planted just over 40 years ago, seem to take over in the summer. One sunny day I did a stroll around the yard and took snap shots of the immense greenery.
This beauty is an unidentified, some kind of nut tree. It gets bigger and bigger each year, produces nothing but a black spiny looking ball that seems to turn into more tree. The weed hedge on the left in between the two yards is our neighbors idea of a fence. Adds a different perspective to landscaping, but there is so much natural beauty around, it can easily be overlooked. The tree farther down on the right is a pecan tree. Silly me, I brought two of them home from Oklahoma years ago. They produce immature nuts as our growing season is not long enough for pecans. It is the third largest tree in our yard.
This is our maple tree out front. We call it the perfect tree as it attests to the fact that “Only God can make a tree.” It also is the place we host an “under the maple tree picnic” each summer for friends. The shade under her branches, at the right time of day, offers an oasis on any hot summer day.
Our first in many years, garden experiment is in full bloom and has been producing beans, peas, tomatoes and zucchini. Soon we will have a pumpkin or two and maybe a cantaloupe.
Summer outside our back yard takes us to Mt Gretna, about an hour and a half down the road. We usually end up there at least twice between June, July and August . Walking through the quaint streets with friends is all the pleasure you need for a summer evening out.
But there is a lot more to do than that. For several years we have enjoyed attending organ recitals held in one of the large old houses. Sorry, Allen, but I love candid shots.
To see the organ itself is worth the trip, but to hear professional young people play this masterful instrument is an amazing way to spend an hour.
Then there is always the porch visit with our friends, who happen to own one of the porches where we are always welcome.
The fun thing is you never know what will be going on in the tabernacle across the walkway when you just drop in for a Sunday afternoon visit. This night there was a harpist concert. Rehearsal was so good, we stayed for the whole show. We were particularly taken in by the song “I took my harp to a party,” not to be outdone by my favorite, “Moon River.”
Walks in Mt Gretna are just too good not to share. Let’s get off the porch and take a walk right now.
A short funny story about this porch is that when I was a young girl my parents used to bring us to the tabernacle on Sunday evenings for what was called the camp meeting. Basically it was an outdoor church service. We kids would hang out around the fringes of the tabernacle and I remember often looking up onto this very porch, thinking it was such a nice place and I longed for a time when I could sit on that porch and see what was going on at the tabernacle. Dreams do come true.
From dancing to the music of the Beatles at a winery to relaxing on a porch listening to a harp concert, my summer has passed by quickly with memories of good friends and great entertainment. See you in September.
