NEWS

Canal and deck (Meg Kimmel photo)

Late July on the Carolina Riviera

I’m on the cottage’s deck, taking in the bright green spartina lining the inland waterway. Cool and overcast this morning, with sun promised. Wilson is making coffee. Grandson Ralph delivers it in an artful, shell-design mug.

Clouds at Sunset (Meg Kimmel photo)

Niece Kathleen walks down the street for an early visit. We sip and catch up, looking out at the wide inlet. Ralph weaves in and out of our easy conversation with kid news.

I point out Pelican Island, a spit down there behind Ocean Isle, where the family’s iconic birds gather early each day to plan their flights. Wilson flips pancakes. Charlie still sleeps, like a respectable preteen. Ralph practices his guitar.

Late August in the Carolina Piedmont

The cat basks on the cool glass top table in the shady backyard (Meg Kimmel photo)

The cat basks in the cool shade.

I can’t begin to describe how lovely it is on our deck this morning. After so many weeks of dark heat, it’s blessedly cool. And breezy! The cats wander in and out of the open screen door, disbelieving this unusual ease of access.

The humble kitchen garden relaxes in the cool. No true hint of fall in the air, but a reminder, a promise, of what is to come. It is this, this, even in a time of change, this movement of the sun and thermometer that we count on as we pass our years on this planet.

Remember the surprise Sunday snow last February?