Dear Wellesley Friends,
The time is upon us. In just 2 weeks all schools, public and private, will have disgorged their charges and summer will go into full swing. And yet, I have a nagging sense that something is missing for those of us for whom our Wellesley house is our “four season” house, where summering elsewhere is but a delightful dream – a reverie of a midsummer’s night. Friends, I ask you, how can we bring back the resplendent Wellesley summer vacation scene of yore? The 19th Century Summering Style of Hunnewells and Durants — families who escaped from their city dwellings , coaching out on the bucolic byways and lanes of Wellesley to enjoy lakeside breezes, punting contests on our lakes and ponds, and pantalooned bathing on private shorelines.
I would like to propose that the mood of stylish summer recreation would be mightily enhanced with one simple name change. I invite you to join me in banishing the term, “Morses Pond” from your vocabulary and instead, envision the dawn of a new era where we as a community join together with friends and family on the beaches of The Wellesley Riviera. All that this necessitates is that you acquire, in the next 2 weeks, a few accoutrement (that’s “Ah-Coo-Treh-Mon,” for the uninitiated amongst us). To help foster the proper Côte de Wellesley mood, please provision yourselves with the following accessories vite, vite:
- A strapless bikini or maillot-style swimsuit – paired with a colorful sarong draped decorously to give the illusion you are covering your topless self. NOTE: extra points to those of you who can persuade your man to don a coordinating sarong, particularly if it is worn over harem pants a la David Beckham.
- Espadrilles! This one is critical: men women AND children of both sexes – you MUST wear espadrilles!
- I’m pretty sure there is a subset of residents who will be excited to learn that for the sake of the summering community, a few of you will need to purchase an antique convertible – extra points for a Renault, Citroen, or Fiat – triple points if you can find one with a picnic basket decorously attached to the boot.
- Lastly…and you will thank me … all of your handsome 16-20 year old sons will now have summer employment because you will be purchasing a minimum of 2 cute canvas beach chairs and a coordinating large beach umbrella. Your sons will be lugging this equipment from your minis (or mini-vans) to the beach like the plagistes or beach boys of the fancy French resort towns.
- Bon Courage Mes Amis – you are about to have the best Wellesley summer of your life time! Now to work on relaxing the liquor laws so that champagne cocktails and les apéritif can be served on the banks of Le Lac du Morse…
dispatchfromthecave 