The Unofficial Start To Summer; Changes in Attitudes

(click to enlarge)

In the United States Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, is the unofficial start of summer.  Swimming pools open.  The school year is almost over.  One can put away his or her winter clothes.  The weather is pretty much nice throughout the country, with some exceptions, of course.  There are always exceptions when it comes to the weather!

What does one do on Memorial Day?  Well, if there is a beach nearby, people often go to the beach but also realize the water is still pretty cold this early in the year.  There are parades to commemorate those who have died for our country in battle.  Families have an excuse to get together and grill outside on a charcoal, wood or gas grills.  Some travel. Some stay home to avoid holiday traffic.  There is always a lot of sports programs on television for those who choose to watch sports.

Early 1980s 35mm Tri-X image of Portsmouth Virginia Memorial Day Parade (click to enlarge)
The quality of 35mm Tri-X images, contrary to our nostalgic belief, is horrible compared to today's even
inexpensive digital cameras.  Tri-X in 35mm worked well for half-tone newspaper reproductions and small
prints, in my opinion.  I mostly used it in 6X7 format, which improved the quality of images tremendously.

Most of all, I think, the Memorial Day holiday weekend brings a change of feeling.  By that I mean that people seem to mentally shift gears.  The old mindset was one of cold, dreary winter that had finally ended and usually, stormy spring weather which limits outdoor activities.  The new mindset is that now a new phase of the year, summer, is upon us, things are looking brighter, the days are longer, the sun shines more often and one can go outdoors most days and enjoy any activities one wishes.  

Many people have wonderful associations with the summer season, going back to their childhood.  Vacations to far away places, swimming in a nearby lake or community pool, watching one's children play baseball or soccer, or other sports, etc.  Lots of wonderful memories we associate with summer.  It just feels good that summer is here.

In any case, to me, it is time to get out and photograph!  Time to put away the coats, get out maps and look for interesting places to go and photograph.  Time to get up early, stay out late, use the middle of the day for other activites and practice patience—waiting for just the right light.

Same time and parade as above.  Some watch and some don't! (click to enlarge)

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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