It was the best of seasons, it was… the best of seasons

I’ve been thinking a lot about the end of summer. Yes, I know, it’s already over; do not remind me.

This summer has been a tough one for me. I’ve had some upheavals in my personal life and some serious medical scares for loved ones, resulting in a major bout of the blues. So I did not do a bunch of the cycling activities that I was planning to do—no charity ride in June, no big Vermont ride over Labor Day, and no NYC Century ride today (have fun, Tony and Jane! Sorry I can’t join you). I just didn’t get myself together to ride and train the way I like to in the summer. And I have been feeling regret about the lost summer, and lost opportunities.

Until I talked with friends and looked back at my summer blog and facebook posts. What do they show? I actually had a super-fun summer, doing all sorts of improvised and different activities—outings I would not have gone on if my situation had been different. For instance, I kayaked a bunch with friends:

I got some instruction and found I love kayaking, which opens up new sports and nature opportunities.

I also spent some time on the Cape with my friend Pata, cycling, wandering and hanging out:

Then there were the adventures on foot in urban and suburban nature wandering: up the north shore of Boston, to Deer Isle near the airport, and in the city (both Boston and New York):

And yesterday was the cherry on top of my unexpected ice cream sundae of a summer—I had a lovely outing on a perfect early fall day on Cape Ann with friends. We cycled and were treated to sights like this:

We went to Halibut Point State Park and wandered around on the rocks by the ocean:

And of course we treated ourselves to ice cream (which we left undocumented).

So, it’s really been a superb summer, full of unexpected adventures. I am grateful for it, and looking forward to what the next season brings.