Farewell to
Summer
By Dr. Syed Amir
Bethesda, MD
For those of us living in colder
climate, the arrival of the spring promises welcome
relief from snow, freezing temperatures and long
dark evenings. As the winter slowly recedes, yielding
to spring and warm weather, a feeling of renewal
and rejuvenation is generated and the entire pace
of life somehow seems to undergo a subtle transformation.
A sense of exuberance permeates the air as the
Washington region, where this writer resides,
emerges from its winter slumber. Lush greenery
and blossoming flowers cover the landscape as
warm weather approaches. A variety of wild life,
birds, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, possums
and even an occasional deer make furtive appearances
in the backyard, all looking for something to
eat. As the school term ends, the yellow buses
that ferry children to classrooms every morning,
such a familiar sight across cities and towns
in this country, vanish for months, parked in
neat rows in their open garages waiting for summer’s
end.
The summer brings many rewards. The dreaded traffic
congestion in and around Washington area seems
to ease up perceptibly, and a surreal sense of
serenity descends on this normally harried metropolis.
It becomes easier during the summer months to
find a place in popular restaurants without an
interminable wait or prior reservation; one could
even find a parking space in front of some highly
popular Smithsonian museums if it is early in
the morning. The Washington area’s celebrated
open air theatre, Wolf Trap, unfolds a menu of
new plays and musical performances that are well
attended all summer long. Washington summers are
hot and humid, ideally suited to long weekends
spent in leisurely pursuits, such as swimming,
outdoor cookouts or picnics. Consequently, summer
weekend parties are both popular and ubiquitous.
The city is the choice destination for both Americans
and foreign tourists who come to visit its historic
monuments, renowned museums and art galleries,
all offering free admissions. Besides being the
nation’s capital and home of the democratic
institutions of this country, it offers some unique
attractions. More than any other American city,
it resembles a European city in some respects,
especially in its architectural design and appearance.
This is not a serendipitous occurrence; the city
was planned and laid out by a French architect,
Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who was chosen
by George Washington, the first President. The
city has a relatively small population, only about
half a million people live within the city limits,
a majority of whom belongs to the African-American
community. Administered by a Mayor, Washington
is not recognized as a State and strangely has
no voting representation in either the US Senate
or Congress, an injustice that eternally rankles
with its citizens. Despite its quaint charm and
picturesque location on the Potomac River, some
areas of the city are unsafe at night, and soon
after darkness falls, its normally busy shopping
malls and business centers become deserted.
The primary business of Washington is, of course,
Government. While the bureaucratic machinery grinds
on as usual, summer prompts the exodus of hundreds
of legislatures, Congressmen and Senators, some
of whom return to their hometown, while others
embark on various foreign junkets, mostly paid
by lobbyist promoting variegated special interests.
Much like the lawmakers, presidents have also
been eager, whenever feasible, to escape from
the highly structured life at the White House.
President Bush spent almost the entire month of
August on vacation away from Washington at his
ranch in Crawford, Texas.
He followed a long tradition. George Washington
used to spend many days at his farmhouse at Mount
Vernon, in Virginia, close to Washington. Alone
among presidents, however, he never lived in the
White House, since the capital at the time was
temporarily located at New York. More recent presidents
have had their own favorite retreats where they
would attempt to get away from the pressures of
Washington politics. President Roosevelt’s
favorite hideaway was at Warm Springs in the State
of Georgia, where he went to escape the rigors
of cold weather. President Kennedy spent his vacations
at his family home at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
President Reagan did not like living in Washington
and took frequent vacations, spending almost all
of it at his ranch in Santa Barbara, California,
There, his preferred pastimes were riding horses,
chopping wood and cleaning brushes. Among all
presidents, Clinton was an exception, in that
he did not own a house while the family lived
in the White House. They spent their summer vacations
at various locations, often at Martha’s
Vineyard at Massachusetts.
In addition to their summer residences, the US
presidents have exclusive access to an official
retreat, some 70 miles from Washington, in the
Catoctin Mountains of Maryland. President Roosevelt
established it in 1942 and gave it the exotic
name, Shangri La, which was later changed to Camp
David by President Eisenhower after his favorite
grandson, David Eisenhower. Camp David has been
associated with a number of major political events,
including the historic 1978 agreement signed between
President Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Begin
of Israel, a crowning achievement of President
Carter’s presidency.
The Labor Day holiday during the first week of
September marks the informal end of the summer
season. The usual crowds have now returned to
roads and highways along with the yellow school
buses. Even more striking is the slow, but perceptible
transition to fall weather. The daylight hours
are shrinking, mornings are darkening and tree
are showing evidence of approaching autumn weather
- leaves turning yellow. Soon, they will acquire
a brilliant golden, scarlet hue, offering briefly
a stunning spectacular show through the morning
mist, before they are finally shed.
Small animals, squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits
can now be seen scurrying about, gathering food
vital for their survival during the dark winter
months. Instinct tells them that hard days are
ahead. Soon, the early mornings will reverberate
with the sounds of migrating geese on their way
from Canada to warm climates of South American
countries. They fly for hundreds of miles in military-like
formations, possessing a remarkable navigational
ability and never seeming to lose their way. They
will be flying back home in early spring next
year, retracing their exact route; however, their
returning sounds will be so much more pleasing.
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