Summers, particularly Summer Vacations, have always been a time of fun and relaxation, and for many, the best annual opportunity to step back and detach from the day-to-day rigors of life.  But last year, at this time, our circumstances were quite different.  Instead of backyard parties to celebrate graduations with family and friends, we were enduring long lines at grocery stores and attempting to learn new forms of virtual communication.  Now, as the Independence Day holiday approaches and summer activities begin to ramp up,  it is easy to “feel” the energy and even welcome the return of those crowded freeways and airports. 

Summer is back!  

I recently had breakfast with a friend and couldn’t help but overhear a young family close to us planning their day at the beach.  They were leaving the restaurant just as we were, and we watched as they climbed into their out-of-state SUV that was loaded to the gills and complete with bicycles hanging off the back.  And as I watched them “load up,” it took me right back to those days when Rebecca & I were that young family.   

Yes, summer is back!  

We got a travel itinerary from our son the other day.  As I write this, Josh, his girlfriend Nikki, and their dog Brutus are setting off on their three-week dispersed camping trip.  Dispersed camping means they take their off-road vehicle and travel through remote places in upper Wisconsin and Michigan.  Because they missed last summer, they decided to take advantage of their options as educators and stay away from summer work.  I mentioned to him that this was one type of vacation they could have taken last year, and he agreed but said they just weren’t in the “vacation headspace” at that time.  I get that. 

So it is good to be back in the summer “headspace.”  Here at Channel Islands Harbor, the activity and energy are back.  In fact, in some ways, it seems as if there is a rebound effect happening.  It could be that we are just not used to all the restaurants and vendors being so busy. But I think it is also true that everyone is scrambling to get back outdoors and enjoy some “normal” again.  So bicycles, kayaks, and jet-skis abound as we settle into these longer days.  On Saturday, the music will come from Peninsula Park as the Concerts by the Sea series returns after a one-year hiatus.   On Sunday, it will come from the outdoor restaurants or the Farmers’ Market that have hired live entertainment.  

Yes, summer is back! 

The beaches are filling back up, though “crowded” here means something different than Los Angeles.  For the past couple of nights, someone has been testing their fireworks, probably purchased out in Fillmore, prepping for the coming Holiday.  The marine layer (typical of this time of the year as inland temperatures warm up) makes its appearance on most mornings before burning off in the afternoons.  As we move through July, these layers will become more of an exception than the rule.  Yes, summer is back!