Illusive Summer

Illusive Summer
            After the shortest, darkest day in late December, the winter solstice, there is an emotional brightening as we incrementally march toward longer, lighter days. Those increasingly long days culminate in the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. 
            “This is what we’ve been yearning for!” my school friends and I thought as we celebrated the official first day of summer.
            Yet the next day, our days immediately started shortening again.
            Movies portray summer as a time of freedom and adventure. As a kid, however, summer always gave me a wistful sense of lost dreams. The things my friends and I looked forward to for months started fading right when they started, swimming at a lake, hanging out at the beach, long bike rides, beating the heat in shorts and T-shirts.
            Beach time in my cold, snowy Upstate New York childhood stretched for two months if we were lucky. 
            Now however, living on the coast of California, I can visit beaches year-round. (Oddly enough, San Francisco summers can be a time for down jackets.)
            Beaches reverberate with a mythical sense of magic any time of year, the rhythm of waves and sunlight sparkling on the water stirring our hearts and imagination, summer or not. 
            Whether it’s hanging out at the sandy edge of a creek, dipping your feet in a cold mountain lake, or taking a walk along an ocean beach, tap into that dreamy sense that a day by the water brings.
            Enjoy the special glow of whatever season you’re in, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives is: Half Moon Bay State Beach-Francis Beach, the main hub of a multi-beach stretch along the Half Moon Bay shoreline, that offers a mystical view of Pillar Point.
 
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 182: Half Moon Bay State Beach-Francis Beach