Labor Day and the End of the Summer

In years past I've blogged about how at the beach and fishing community where I vacation, the Memorial Day weekend is the start of summer and a time full of possibilities. My neighbors and I

keep boats and so by Memorial Day we tend to launch for the season. Over that weekend we emerge from a winter away, generally pale skinned and in the midst of minor repairs on our properties for the season. We talk to each other about our plans, show each other changes or improvements on our boats or our docks. Sometimes we even have new boats to show off. We talk about the fishing we'll do that year, the excursions we'll take to nearby and far away marinas. Memorial Day weekend is a wonderful time of possibilities. In many ways, it is the sunrise of the summer.

In the blink of an eye, all those fishing trips and excursions and days at the beach and seafood meals are behind us for the 2014 season. Labor Day has arrived and it's more like a sunset than a sunrise – still beautiful, but maybe in a slightly sadder way. We are tanned and full of nice memories. Our kids are going back to school and we will have to spend more time back at home. We'll still have some weekends, and the early fall is really a beautiful time at the beach and on the water, but the summer is really over.

So long summer! I'll enjoy the other seasons, but I'm secretly counting the weeks until next Memorial Day.