Chilly last night here in Malibu. People in the Cove have started to shut their windows and tiny pockets of silence dot the night. There goes the sound of the three-year-old twins across the street valiantly fighting their bedtime. There goes CNN as the TV cameraman next door feels the cold. Far-off sounds carry further and you can hear the screech of peacocks on Zumirez Drive as they get rousted by something in the night.

At our local Sav-On, the umbrella and beach chair display just got bumped for school supplies. Kids in swim trunks shy away from that aisle like it’s contagious. Parents gaze at the reams of paper and stacked ring binders and look relieved.

Even at Zuma Hardware (motto: “We carry everything sometimes”) where beach season generally lasts all year long, the bright-colored Adirondack chairs are on sale. We’re edging to the end of summer. Doesn’t it seem too soon?