Blue is the color of summer. At least, at my house, and to me it is. Blue skies, blue water, our blue ski boat, and our blue pontoon boat join together to make summer seem a very blue affair.

Summer has a sound, too. It is the sound of the ski boat motor growling on the water, a sound I would recognize in much the same way I would recognize the sound of my children’s voices. It is grandchildren screaming with delight and laughing, the sound echoing across the water. Its the sound of birds singing and hawks calling to each other in my yard. At night, it is the sound of the owl’s call and the overwhelmingly loud sound of the cicadas in the trees.

Summer is a time of remembrance, too. We remember the man who made all our summers wonderful and fun, my sweet husband, Billy. We remember how hard he worked to make our land look like a park, how he always managed to keep the boats running and gas in the garage, how he loved water skiing. How he loved summer. How he loved all of us.

Below is a picture of my youngest son slalom skiing behind the ski boat, his wife doing a great job of driving.

pictures by Lisa Paul

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