The Hands of June

June has brought a nice routine to my life here.  My work week starts of Friday morning, 7am sharp.   I’m usually early to the restaurant, before the other server.  I like the early quiet of Commercial Street.  Hector, the sous chef, is busy downstairs in the prep kitchen and I can zone out and set up for service.  The next four days proceed mostly the same; work, a chill-out, catch-up-on-communication time on the steps of Joel’s store, then a quick bike ride home.  Now that the weather’s nice, I’ve started spending an hour or so at the end of the afternoon on the beach.   Just me and the sun and the water.   The water is cold, but not bracing.  It refreshes and relaxes me.  There are usually drinks somewhere — at Meg and Mo’s, or at Tea Dance or at Joel’s.   Then usually I grab something to eat or come home and cook.   I’m in bed by 10 most work nights and that’s fine with me.   5:45 comes early and 7 hours on my feet are no fun tired or hungover.

My days off have a nice pace as well.   Tuesday is laundry day, either here at the condo association laundry room (cellar, actually) or at Joel’s.  Errands are easy to do on foot or via the bike.   And once a week I’ll drive to the grocery store to stock up.  My going-out nights are usually Monday and Wednesday.  Showgirls, the bawdy drag review is Monday and Fag Bash, the biggest night for Townies, is Wednesday in the basement of the Governor Bradford.   There’s lots of dancing, socializing, kissing, drinking and general merriment.   Then the work week begins again and the working population goes back to their jobs, some holding down 2, 3, 4 or even 5 at a time.

Add frequent waves of Atlanta visitors and summer is suddenly very interestingly busy.  It’s a nice routine.

However, this weekend the “Season” kicks into high gear with Fourth of July festivities.  The first gigantic wave of visitors will feature the young, overly-worked-out party boys knows as Circuit Queens.  Then come the big, hirsute, overly-masculine men for Bear Week.  Then another onslaught of women.  Then Family Week.  And so on until Carnival Week and then summer’s last  big hurrah at Labor Day.  They say if you can get through the Fourth, and its attendant attitude and angry overt sexuality, the rest is easy.  I’ve been on that side of the coin and am looking forward to seeing things from a local’s perspective.

In other news, Joel and I catered our first wedding last Monday.  We were asked by two friends to help them host the marriage ceremony for their best friends and serve the wedding meal on their new patio.   The picture above is the table, set for dinner.   Joel crafted the amazing driftwood chandelier and my 4-course meal was a huge success.   The mood was set with 3 dozen votives, peonies floated in bowls, beach stones for place markers and a 2-hour playlist of beautiful songs, each chosen to reflect the love and peace of the evening.   That dinner struck a nerve, opened my eyes to some opportunity and has my head working towards what might be next summer’s occupation.   Stay tuned.