of August<\/strong><\/p>\n by Lynda McKinney Lambert<\/p>\n I love August days in western Pennsylvania because the temperature begins to drop down in the evenings.\u00a0 Typically, by the second week of August the nights become cooler.\u00a0 Instead of the steamy days and smoldering nights of\u00a0 sizzling hot July, we get a welcome feeling of \u00a0relief when the night temperature drops down into the 50s.<\/p>\n It is refreshing to lie in bed at night, listen to the myriad of insect sounds tuning up and playing their individual night songs. Nature’s \u00a0sounds come in layers from every direction.<\/p>\n Catch the beat of a night bird;<\/p>\n tree frogs;<\/p>\n wild geese flying in the dark;<\/p>\n insects too numerous to even imagine.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We live by the creek and we can hear people laughing from down below the ridge, as they go fishing or just relax and enjoy the flowing water. Some people arrive in the late evening and descend down the steep bank where they find a nice big rock to sit on. They will be at the water’s edge \u00a0all night long. In the early morning light, they will come back up the hill, \u00a0load their fishing gear into their cars and leave for home. I always think they must feel so relaxed after spending the night along the creek banks doing something they love to do.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My father was an avid fisherman. On August evenings at twilight, \u00a0I helped him find earth worms.\u00a0 He wore his miner\u2019s helmet with a light on the front of the helmet. \u00a0The eerie yellow-light \u00a0sizzled and sputtered as we poured mustard water down the holes, into \u00a0the earth worm’s tunnels. \u00a0It was only a few seconds until a slimey mustard covered worm came to the surface seeking fresh air.\u00a0\u00a0I grabbed the sticky worms and put them \u00a0into Dad\u2019s metal pail with the holes all around the sides. \u00a0 Dad and I turned \u00a0over rocks and found creepy things there that were used for Dad\u2019s fishing expedition, too. Dad called them helgrimites.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chicory mingles with the Queen Ann Lace. When you see them blooming together you will know that summer is waning. They bloom randomly and spontaneously along the roads and fields of Western Pennsylvania every August.<\/p><\/div>\n It is always the same memories that flood back over me every August as I walk through the woods, across the meadow, along the \u00a0ridge, and down the path to cross the creek.<\/p>\n ~ Queen Ann Lace and \u00a0Chicory ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I love it most of all when Queen Ann’s Lace \u00a0mingles with the periwinkle blue flowers of Chicory. Both wild flowers grow together along all the roads in\u00a0 Western Pennsylvania in early August.<\/p>\n I took my camera outside so I could capture the beauty of these wild flowers and remember them after they have gone for the winter.<\/p>\n I think it is because of the delicate flowers that are clustered on the thin light green\u00a0\u00a0stems and the way they seem to float in space and ride the soft wafts of the breeze as they sway back and forth. They seem to be dancing on the air.\u00a0 The chicory flowers are studier, almost like a daisy, with petals branching outward from a round, dark, center.\u00a0 Each little petal comes to a squared off point, looking like a saw tooth edge at the tip, and the color of the Chicory flowers seem to pop out from among the white Queen Ann’s Lace blossoms.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n That particular summer day, I walked along the sidewalk that meanders along the banks of \u00a0the \u00a0Salzach River in Salzburg, I saw an older couple sitting quietly on the well worn wooden bench. They faced the river. They were so engaged\u00a0 in their own private conversation that they paid no attention to anyone else.<\/p>\n Later, I penned this poem from the memories of the day and the image I sketched.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You will find so many little moments you may want to record and then you can go back to your book later on and begin to create a poem or write an essay about this day.<\/p>\n Assignment for the Sizzling Summer Super Book Launch Party on Facebook.<\/p>\n Find a photo of something that is interesting to you. Or think about an experience you had.<\/p>\n Write a brief paragraph about what you see or feel as you look at that photo.<\/p>\n You can turn your paragraph in to a little poem.<\/p>\n Don’t worry about rhyming or forms.<\/p>\n Just express how this photo or experience feels to you as you think about it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Please leave a comment with the post.<\/p>\n You may be a lucky winner in my GIVE AWAY DRAWING.<\/p>\n You have until August 10th to post a comment, and SHARE this article on your Social Media.<\/p>\n Once you do this – you are NOW ENTERED into my DRAWING.<\/p>\n When I pull the WINNER, I will contact you – please be sure I have your E-mail.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two friends on a bench<\/p>\n Comfort each other<\/p>\n Relaxed conversation<\/p>\n A scratch of the head A nod,<\/p>\n touch of the arm<\/p>\n A gesture of the hand, a look<\/p>\n The afternoon passes<\/p>\n two pidgins fly under the bench<\/p>\n Old friends never notice<\/p>\n the people walking by<\/p>\n they only see each other<\/p>\n From a hidden tree branch<\/p>\n a bird begins to sing<\/p>\n a love song to them.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n![\"2007Boating_MemDay.\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/2007Boating_MemDay..jpg\")
<\/a> ![\"2007Boating.\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/2007Boating..jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0 August days bring memories.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
We leave our windows open to let the breeze sweep through the house and cleanse it from the humidity and stuffiness of July.<\/span><\/h3>\n
I understand the reason why this is a theme in so many country songs: \u00a0fishing along the river at night, drinking a cold beer, and making love to your sweetheart.<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 ~ I am thinking today about how much I love August \u00a0~<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/a><\/a> <\/a><\/p>\nQueen Ann’s Lace is my favorite wildflower.<\/span><\/h3>\n
I selected this poem \u00a0because it fits the season. <\/span><\/h3>\n
I penned <\/span><\/h3>\n
“Two Friends on a Bench,” in Austria during the summer of 1998.<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0I sat in the grass behind them, and I took out my sketchbook.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nLynda’s pencil sketch of\u00a0 two friends who sat on the bench.<\/h4>\n
<\/h2>\n
Travel journals are a source of creative inspiration. <\/span><\/h2>\n
I read them long after I have returned home and I begin to write about a particular day, place, or moment in my life.<\/span><\/h2>\n
Here’s my TIP for YOU!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n
Make it a HABIT – take a journal or sketchbook when you travel.<\/h3>\n
Thank you for choosing to comment and share this post.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
I love you for that!<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
***********<\/h2>\n
“Two Friends on a Bench”<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n