We’re headed into the last weekend before Labor Day and what is considered the unofficial end of the summer season.  Every summer in mid-July when the days are long, Cape May is filled to the brim with people, and the air is thick with summer heat, I have the same thought that the summer will never end.

But year after year, gradually the days slip away while you lose track of time under the lazy haze of the sun.  The sound of the seagulls, smell of funnel cake and suntan lotion, and noises of the crowds on the Promenade tricked you again into thinking the season and days were never-ending.

Without you realizing, the sun has shifted, the dunes are changing color, and the hydrangea have all had their bloom.  All of the sudden it’s Labor Day weekend, and people are storing away their 2018 beach tags with all of the other tags from summers past.

This penultimate weekend is a chance to celebrate summer without thinking about your last day on the beach or going back to school. Whether you are a local, a summer local, a weekender, or a year after year week renter, I’m sure you made wonderful summer memories with your friends and family and experienced the inherent charm of Cape May in this romantic season.

There’s a reason why people return to Cape May summer after summer—despite any changes that have occurred in your life or to the island while you were away for the winter, you can always count on Cape May to be dependable.

You wait all year to return to the Shore to carry out your family and friend summertime traditions.  You can find reliable contentment by sitting in “your spot” on the beach, visiting the Washington Street Mall at least once to get your Cape May t-shirts and fudge, and making a much-anticipated stop at the Lobster House raw bar.  You can count on the “sameness” of the Shore to anchor yourself to no matter what happens during the year.

One thing I can always count on in the summer is getting great photos of sunset at The Point.  The sun shifts far enough West that the only places to directly watch the sun go below the horizon are The Point, Sunset Beach, and the Bay.  In the summer, I can always trust The Point to have great light and not be too crowded so I can comfortably take pictures and walk along the ocean.

I am so excited for the upcoming change of scene around town that the Fall season brings.  I hope that whatever kind of visitor you are to Cape May, you use this weekend to be in the moment and hold onto that summer stupor.

We all know that a change is coming and the lasts of the season are about to occur, but for now let’s stay on the beach for another hour, get another ice cream cone, and play another round of skee ball.  Let’s drive to Sunset Beach with the windows down to catch another summer sunset.  Let’s sit on the screened in porch with nothing to do but listen to seagulls and feel the summer breeze.

Even if summer is unofficially ending soon, don’t worry. The best season is yet to come in Cape May with crisp evenings, the most gold golden hours, and beaches all to yourself.

See you on the beach in September!