Late Summer Days

The northeaster that blew through the Island this week was right on schedule in this summer of early things: early spring, early dog days of heat and humidity and now an early storm more characteristic of September than August. Slickers and rain boots were pulled out of hiding in coat closets and donned for sloshing through wind-driven rain that fell from the sky in great sheets. It felt good, actually, to wash away the summer dust and spiderwebs that have woven themselves artfully around downspouts and on screened porches.

And now the sunshine has returned. Signs of early fall are everywhere: ripening beach plums in north and south-facing dunes, tiny wild apples dropping from twisted old trees up-Island and down, pickup trucks loaded with saltwater fishing gear, back-to-school specials in the daily newspapers. Pink and yellow roses on fences in downtown Edgartown are busy making buds for a second bloom — a little like Islanders who are catching their breath as the annual summer exodus begins — ready for a second bloom themselves.

September is right around the corner.