Summer is Just over the Horizon . . .

. . . and headed this way! I can hardly wait. This little book was a gift.

Several years back, for 10 years in a row, I threw my own birthday party. I would have a sit-down meal in our home, which will seat three dozen people comfortably (we have converted the formal livingroom into a dining room). Anyway -- my friends, the party guests, were my birthday presents. Every year I would ask them not to bring a present, but to bring something to share. Several times I have asked for them to bring their favorite book and to share either why it was a favorite or to share an excerpt from the book or do both.

So one friend was self-conscious because she wasn't a reader of books. I told her no biggie just find something, even something from her childhood. So she found this little book Beach Pails and told everyone that she just had never been a book reader. Then she gave it to me for a birthday gift. Since then, I've always treasured this little book. By the way, my friend has now become a reader of books (she keeps asking me if I'm going to have another party so she can share a book).

During those parties, listening as each friend would tell about his or her book was more than fun. The sharing lasted for several hours. As far fetched as this sounds, those evenings were enchanted.

Now, tonight, as this Wednesday slowly pours out its final hours, I find myself wishing for the ocean moments of summer. It's been a pleasantly warm day here with bright sun and the continual hint that summer is soon to make its entrance. So I present to you this little book, the shovel for a beach pail, the tropical beach bus, the shells, and several quotes from in the little book:

"One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few."
--from Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"Always the edge of the sea remains an elusive and indefinable boundary. The shore has a dual nature, changing with the swing of the tides, belonging now to the land, now to the sea."
--from The Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson

"The sea pronounces something, over and over, in a hoarse whisper; I cannot quite make it out."
--from Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard


And I know my blip friends in the Southern Hemisphere are seeing the arrival of winter. Hearing from you and seeing your photos gives me balance. And for that and for all my blip friends, I am thankful. So no matter where you are . . .

Good night from Southern California.
As my friend Turk says, "Carry on."

Rosie, aka Carol

P.S. Turk, I love your saying!