Signs of spring

Bruno's shoes were off.  Now, the fact that the man who owns one of the beaches in town was shoe-less while putting up cabanas and gearing up for the opening of the beach bar, might not mean much to many people.  However, as I learned today, the fact that he was shoeless, pants rolled up haphazardly, and squinting into the sun, means that summer is here.  When the shoes go back on, the season is over.  Another one of the signs of the season that I never knew.
A few other ones are more predictable, yet happily welcomed.  The appearance of fresh peas in their bring green pods, tendrils curling gently around them, means spring in the U.S. too, but fresh peas are hard to find and their season is short.  More and more people are laying in the sun, relaxing on the beach, and looking at the intensely blue, clear water, I could hardly blame them.
It's a T-shirt kind of day here in Monterosso, and sitting roasting in the sun in mid-March is something much appreciated, after such a long and difficult winter.  Spring is a rushed season that spills quickly into summer, both encompassed in something simply referred to as the "Season" - when the town fills up and comes alive.

fresh peas and zucchini flowers

unloading beach chairs

Shoes or no shoes, spring is here.