I just came in from a spell of reading--I am now close to finishing The Amber Spyglass, the third in the "His Dark Materials" trilogy--outdoors on a beautiful summer night. The temperatures lately have been perfect here in Connecticut: warm days, without oppressive humidity, and comfortable nights (good sleeping weather!). I was sitting in an Adirondack chair on the edge of Memorial Field in front of my house and noticing how very quiet the campus was. All the high school kids must have been at the final dance of the summer (they leave tomorrow morning) because hardly anyone was within sight in the course of nearly two hours. The birdsong was my background music, and as the sun set, I was treated to a spectacular canopy of deep blue clouds, pleasantly punctuated by streaks of pink, reflecting far above the sun that had moved below the horizon.
The atmosphere brought back memories of my youth: seemingly endless summer nights at my grandparents' farm in upstate New York, running around with my cousins, watching the fireflies emerge, and generally soaking up a carefree existence. I think this time following sunset may well be my favorite part of the day, at least in this part of the year.
No doubt part of my good mood is psychologically rooted in the sense of being nearly finished with summer school duties. Though I have projects I am working on, the knowledge that the month ahead is largely unscheduled is a great feeling.
Summer evenings can be pretty nice!
