title: Beach Bummed: Riding the Wave of Summer (Humor Me)
author: Tracy Curtis
description: Tracy Curtis is an award-winning author, speaker and former syndicated humor columnist for The McClatchy Company, nationwide. She has written over 500 columns for the Charlotte Observer, and is now publishing her Humor Me series of gift books, collections of her columns from the last decade about the imperfection of motherhood. Trophy Mom, Beach Bummed and Holidazed were released in 2016, and Holidazed was recently awarded a national 2016 Independent Publisher Book Award. Tracy speaks to literary groups, book clubs, professional organizations and conferences, and has also performed standup at The Comedy Zone. A former CNN producer, Tracy enjoyed a fifteen-year career in radio, television and film. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, two sons and three step-children. And when she's not writing? She's unloading the dishwasher.
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  ![cover](cover.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  SEAGULL SUMMER
  
  
  a novella
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  S H A W N H O P K I N
  
  
  S
  
  
  Copyright © 2013 Shawn
  
  
  Hopkins
  
  
  All rights
  
  
  reserved.
  
  
  ISBN-10:
  
  
  1493756869
  
  
  ISBN-13:
  
  
  978-1493756865
  
  
    
  
  
  For Nick, Cape May 1995 and so much more.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  1
  
  
  I close the trunk, wipe a line of sweat from my brow. Leaning
  
  
  against the tailgate of the Honda Pilot, I take a moment while my
  
  
  chest heaves beneath the faded Captain America T-shirt. I don’t
  
  
  know why I have it—the shirt. I don’t even like Captain
  
  
  America, and I’m not what anyone would be quick to label a
  
  
  “patriot.” Who cares? It was five bucks, and it fits me good—though
  
  
  my hot wife is quick to point out that I don’t fill it out the way
  
  
  I used to. Yeah, I know. The birth of our first child sort of cut
  
  
  into my gym time. Guess that’s life. Sorry, honey.
  
  
  The ocean breeze drifts down the
  
  
  narrow street and rattles an assortment of wind chimes. Some have
  
  
  been here f