Labor Day weekend is the official end of summer. It's no matter that the calendar still promises almost 3 more full weeks of this beautiful warm weather. Summer is over and school starts Tuesday. And to that I'm sure there will be more than a few audible sighs of relief-- at least on the parent end of things.
Here at home we wound up the weekend in just the right manner: Ribs on the grill. Corn on the cob. Potatoes roasted in the fire. And for dessert? What else? Ice cold watermelon.
If you are anything like me you grew up with seasonal watermelon, meaning, watermelons that showed up in the latter part of June and pretty much disappeared by the 3rd week in September. I don't adhere to that schedule any longer and, in fact, don't hesitate much to pick up a watermelon any time of year they're in the market and looking good. That said, they're never better than they are in the heat of the summer, served ice cold.
The watermelon we had after dinner last night was just about perfect. Something I just realized last night, however, is that watermelon almost-- if not always-- watermelon almost never tastes as good as the ones you remember from childhood: The one kept cold in the cooler under the picnic table. The big dark green monster kept out in the fridge in the garage. The one hauled up after being submersed in an ice cold mountain creek for hours.
Fact is, if you're lucky enough to own a share, you never can do better than the sweet taste of a childhood memory. If you're lucky you can look back and recall every cook-out, every day in the sun, every trip to the park, every hour spent in the lake or pool, every marshmallow ever roasted and placed upon a Hershey's covered graham cracker, every wiener cooked on a stick, and every slice of ice cold watermelon as being the very best you ever had.
And that is exactly the kind of summer I hope we've all had. Here's to watermelon memories.
No comments:
Post a Comment