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June!?
We’re this close to tourist season! Yep, we’re so close we can smell the sunscreen and see the blistered shoulders of visitors. And, if you live here year-round, you know how especially difficult it can be to get around during the summer months. Each year the roads in the County are busier and busier. A couple of oldies, like he and I, don’t need to add to the congestion. Just finding a parking spot is like being on a slot-car rally. Yessiree, LOML and I are pulling out the lawn chairs, pouring ourselves coffee and sitting back to watch the “summer” months go by. Over the years, as tourism has increased, I’ve had many “mood swings” with regard to the County’s seasonal influx of sun and pleasure seekers. Many years ago, I remember being appalled by the people who showed up in the grocery stores wearing diaphanous cover-ups over their bathing suits and flimsy flipflops on their tootsies. I’ve had my laughs about the Bathing Suit Grocery Shopping People, one of whom asked me why the food prices in a small place like the County were as high as they were in the “City”. Another visitor seriously wanted to know why the farmers didn’t put out the entire fall harvest in July for the tourists. What are they saving that late summer harvest for, anyway? Surely farmers know when tourist season is upon them. Speaking of which, my alltime favourite comment was about farm equipment on County roads—DURING THE DAY! “Why can’t they drive an ordinary car like other people?” and “Why can’t they move the equipment at night when the roads aren’t as busy?”
Honestly, I do get tired if I have to sit in traffic for too long, but I’ve never been bothered by farm equipment moving along in our community roads. Like corn, tomatoes, apples and beans, timing is everything. If you and I need to get out and about, let’s consider aiming for early morning or early evening. LOML and I try to avoid all of the places we enjoy so much during the off-seasons. We most definitely avoid the beaches and the conservation areas. Honestly, we really aren’t beach people, so no great loss for us there—but conservation areas are another thing. We avoid the cozy diners, the ice cream place near the Legion and the one in Wellington. The “chippy” on Lake Street won’t see us very often during June, July and August. We do love those places, but don’t want to get in the way of the visitors. Although when mingling with a City Tourist you’ll hear some interesting things. I remember one City Person told a County Person how to run a successful business (while shopping in said successful business). Apparently, advertising in a big magazine or national newspaper is the way to go. Who knew? Once I witnessed a “visitor” telling a farmer how to “run the farm” more efficiently. Gotta like those SBSA or seasonal bits of sage advice.
When everyone in the “city” seems to need a retreat to a place like the County, LOML and I usually retreat to the backyard. Yep, in June, July and August we shift our excursion timing and mostly avoid all of the places we love to visit in the shoulder season. We’ve learned to embrace those off-peak/off-season times. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but we prefer a quieter break from the everyday world. Besides, we’re retired. We don’t need to be sitting in a cute, local cafe, or on a patio at a winery during the summer months. September and October are great times for “sitting out”. And, like all y’all, we’re hoping the volume of tourist traffic equates to a healthy bottom-line for businesses in our community.
Happy June!
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