Page 18 - Boca ViewPointe - October '24

Page 18, Viewpointe October 2024
The Leave Of Summer, The Leaves Of Fall

By William A. Gralnick room and our beds. As I rolled over, the sheet sticking grey ocean sand—it was enough to make you forget the
from sweat to my body, the breeze helped evaporate the misery of getting there.
When the notice dampness and create a sense of comfort. Don’t think Something else we didn’t know was what the sun could
arrived calling for the for a minute that I didn’t know I would have been more do to you. Mothers would slather their children in the
Oc t obe r Vi e wpoi nt comfortable in that room across the hall from which came early edition of Coppertone but a day in the sun, coated
articles, a line jumped the sound of the air conditioner’s motor. with sun tan lotion, could still mean a night of misery
out at me. It referred with But not every meal was indoors. Was there anything from sunburn and blisters. Later, when we got older and
disbelief to how fast the end of the year was upon us. that smelled better, or tasted better than a steak on the mom wasn’t around, we became the baby oil and iodine
By the time you read this, you, your friends, and your grill? My favorites were flank steak, fancily known generation. In the winter we’d top off that attack on our
neighbors will be thinking about who to invite, what to as London Broil, or T-bone. I lusted for the bone. The skin by holding aluminum reflectors up to our faces.
buy for Thanksgiving, and how to deal with the greedy charcoal briquets were piled in a pyramid and soaked How many dermatologists’ children have gone to college
rush of the Christmas season. We will also see the first with lighter fluid which had its own easily identifiable from our hormonally driven need to look cool by having
feathers of the snowbirds. Weren’t we just celebrating New odor. The match was thrown in, with cries of “stand back, a winter tan?
Year’s and wishing we could do it with Guy Lombardo stand back.” The match created a whoosh of red and blue Ah yes, those were the days, the days that turn the
instead of what passes for New Year’s entertainment flame that settled back into the black coals that soon began head’s memory drum as summer turns into what passes
now? Aren’t we still feeling the chill of patriotism from to turn white. The meat sizzled and its dripping created for Fall in South Florida.
watching the Fourth of July Fireworks exploding to the sudden flare-ups all to the delight of the children. Who By the way, for those of you following my WHYI
1812 Overture? It’s almost unnerving how time flies. As knew then that something that tasted so good could be -Philadelphia Fresh Air adventure—I’ve yet to hear from
Tweety says, My “doodness draycious!” so bad for you? I’m not sure, even if we knew, it would Terry Gross. But hope springs eternal. She’s been on
Remember when summer seemed endless? Those of have mattered. vacation and has just returned. Don’t hold your breath
us who were lucky got to go to summer camp for eight To beat the heat there was always a trip to the beach. but do keep your fingers crossed for me.
weeks or spend at least a few weeks up in the mountains. There was an irony to such trips. You had to bear the heat
But by mid-summer, it seemed one had lived an entirely of the unairconditioned car to get there. Once there the Columnist and author Bill Gralnick was born and raised
separate life during those eight weeks. Others played in sand was so hot you had to wear shoes to walk on it, and in Brooklyn, NY. He recently finished a humorous memoir
the spray of backyard garden sprinklers or the powerful the sun was scorching. There was always traffic so one trilogy. The first book is “The War of the Itchy Balls and Other
rush of water from open fire hydrants. Even with the arrived dripping with sweat, clothes glued to your back as Tales from Brooklyn.” The second is “George Washington
momentary heart-pounding rush that came with the rush the car sat in endless traffic, inching along mile after mile. Didn’t Sleep Here.” The recently published third is, That’s
of the water, that too got old. Summer seemed so long But we’d stay past sundown. The sight of the sun going Why They Call It Work.” He is currently working on a novel.
that getting ready for school was almost welcome. It down over the ocean, the feeling of the breezes kicking His books are available on Amazon and his other writings at
began to feel like we had been out of school for so long up, the sounds of the waves splashing against the hard, https://www.williamgralnickauthor.com. 
that going back was like entering a foreign place even
though it was only nine or ten weeks ago that the term
had ended. Yet, it seemed the way out, escape, would WHAT ARE YOUR
never come. School lasted so long that by the end of the
year, it seemed that you knew every nook and cranny of MEDICARE OPTIONS?
it. Would it ever release us from its clutches? Then came
the dancing in the streets; school was out. Summer was I will help you find a health plan that
here but it wasn’t very long before it seemed that without best fits your needs at no cost to you.
the daily routine of school, summer was the endless part • Medicare Supplements
of life. And it was hot. • Medicare Advantage Plans
We didn’t know about climate change in those days, • Individual Health Insurance
but we did know about hot. In my house, we had one air- • Medicare Part D Drug Plans
conditioner. Of course, it was in my parents’ bedroom. • Dental, Vision, & Cancer Plans
Every so often we were allowed “a breather” and could
go into that sanctum sanctorum, its shades pulled down
and feel the coolness envelope us.
We lived in a three-story house and for cooling the rest Beth S. Sigel
of the house, we had an attic fan. It seemed back then to
be the size of an airplane propeller. Right before dinner Boca Pointe Resident
my dad would open up the windows and switch it on. (954) 261-4648
It created vibrations that were felt on every floor in the beth@reliablemedicaresolutions.com
house. Along with the vibrations though came a breeze. www.reliablemedicaresolutions.com
That breeze made summer dinners tolerable to eat indoors
and when it was time for bed, the breeze would nudge us “We do not offer every plan in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area.
Please contact 1-800-Medicare or Medicare.gov to get information on all your options.”
in the back as my brother and I ascended the stairs to the
second floor and our bedrooms. The bedroom doors and
windows were open; the breeze blew playfully around the

Attention Dog

Owners

It is your responsibility
to pick up after your dog.
It’s the law. Some of you
have been negligent in
doing so.

Please keep our
Boca Pointe community
beautiful! 

On behalf of The Club at Boca Pointe
we would like to remind our
residents that NO walking,
running, bicycle riding or
dog walking is permitted
on the golf course or golf
cart paths. For safety
reasons, the paths are
for golf carts only.

Thank you for cooperating with The Club's
policy. 