A few days ago, a nostalgic sputter resonated in the air above me while I was sitting on my porch writing.

The biplane with its long banner tail announcing a local watering hole’s specials sliced through the blue sky. Its pilot skillfully curved below the clouds to repeat its course over where the sand meets the ocean.

The whirling echo transported me to a memory hidden deep within my mental filing cabinet. I was a teenager lounging on my towel with my toes digging in the sand as the ocean delicately lapped the beach in front of me. Skim boards and boogie boards served as tables on that particular day, as the lack of waves rendered them useless. 

The sunscreen’s coconut blended with the funnel cake’s sweetness and the sea’s salt to create an aroma so sublime it cannot be replicated by oils, wax, or aerosol.

People of all ages frolicked at the water’s edge, their laughter occasionally drowned out by the banner plane’s signature cadence rumbling from above.

Warm. 

Serene. 

Divine.

A sliver of rattling peace in an otherwise noisy world, and an absolutely perfect moment.

Banner plane season is here once again, and I couldn’t be happier.

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

“It’s Banner Plance Season Again!” was posted on jillocone.com on May 24, 2023. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2023, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact jillocone@gmail.com with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries.