The End of Summer

Today doesn't feel so different from yesterday, but it obviously is. Yesterday marked the end of summer, and today launches us into a busy fall - and an especially busy September. At the beginning of October, Cooper's sister is getting married, and during this month we're throwing an engagement party, I'm going to NYC with Missy and Sarah and Gilly to celebrate the wedding (and probably reminisce about our Paris trip) and Cooper is going back to the beach for Seth's bachelor party. Plus, we'll be celebrating my grandmother's 90th birthday...and Dixon's 2nd birthday. It's a big month.

But it was a big summer, too, and it flew by.

At the beach this weekend, we made a point of doing lots of especially summery things. The weather started out ugly, but ended up beautiful, so I have a scorching sunburn. Fortunately, everything else we did was actually fun.

Saturday night we had dinner at Captain Pete's, the Greek restaurant down the street from Cooper's parents' place. I ordered, like I always do, shrimp Mykonos - shrimp in a sauce of tomato, garlic and feta. Cooper ordered, like he always does, the lamb, Greek style. We started, like always, with fried cheese and a whole bunch of other Greek appetizers. And we finished, like always, with thick Greek coffee...and a trip to Nantucket's for a nightcap (or five, as it turned out).

But Sunday is when we really did the celebrate-summer thing, with a massive seafood feast. Patsy sauteed softshells until they were crispy and Cooper grilled clams and shrimp. We also had tomatoes, basil and mozzarella, corn on the cob, and crusty bread. The food, all set out on the counter before we ate, was so perfectly beautiful and summery that I almost couldn't stand it. And, really, I didn't want to stop eating - I drew out the meal as long as physically possible. Everybody did...and somehow we still had piles of leftovers.

When we came home yesterday, we gave up and ordered pizza with Jen and Bill. But we also pulled about 25 ripe figs off the tree. I gave a few to Alicia (who'd brought over some beautiful pink salt she got up at the lake!) but I still have a gigantic bag of figs in my refrigerator.

It almost feels cruel, doesn't it, just how much great food is available at the very end of summer? I'm ready for fall - I am - and I know that end-of-summer food tastes better because it's only available for a short time, but I can't help but feeling wistful.

But at least I still have the farmer's market...and (hopefully) another couple of months of great food.