A Walk on the Beach on Hot August Nights by Amber Leigh Williams

Lil Jake showing the tourists how to
stay cool on the beach....

I live on the Gulf Coast and today the heat index was 107 degrees. Having lived here all my life, I know a thing or two about hot August nights. August happens to be my least favorite month of the year, not because it usually means summer is coming to a close. Around here, summer weather doesn’t begin to fade into the autumn months until mid-October if we’re lucky. August is hard because it tends to be the hottest month of the year. Humidity might make summertime air feel like soup around these parts. In August, it’s more like molasses. I look forward to football season for more than just sport. Those cool, crisp days of autumn are something I dream about from the end of May through September.

August nights however do offer somewhat of a reprieve. As the sun slips beneath the horizon, the mugginess might hang around in the air in its absence but the temperature drops to the balmy mid-seventies or low eighties, and suddenly it’s the perfect opportunity to take a walk on the beach. We bring our flashlights and our sense of wonder as the waves whisper to us in the dark and the sand cools the bottoms of our feet. We look for not just shells but we comb the beach for crabs, sea turtles and starfish, which are more likely to be out and about now that the multitudes of people have vacated their natural habitat.

Lil Jake enjoying a summer
weekend on the lake...

Night fishing is something else we do here on the coast. I remember August nights on a brother-in-law’s boat weaving our careful way through the bayou to the sea where we could drop our shrimp net. There’s a bridge that straddles the line between Alabama and Florida not far from home where night fishing was once very popular. It wasn’t just a chance to catch some grub, however. It was an opportunity to rub elbows with people from all walks of life. With the current running fast through the channel and the lights shining on the water from above, it was easy to see all manner of sea creatures floating by: eels, sting rays, crabs, and hordes of shrimp. The best part was making it back home late into the night for a midnight feast.

While the brutal heat of August chases anyone with any common sense into the comfort and air conditioning of their homes, it’s hard to stay indoors at nighttime. My favorite thing to do on hot August nights? Sit on the back porch in Adirondack chairs or a wooden swing with family members and friends sipping ice-cold sweet tea and enjoying the moment. Especially blissful are August nights at my family’s lakeside cabin in northern Alabama. Late night boat rides through the butter-smooth, warm, fresh water underneath a sparkly curtain of bright, silvery stars might even put one in the mood for romance! It certainly does for me....

It’s your turn, Roses! What is your favorite summertime activity to do by night? 

ALW

www.amberleighwilliams.com