Goodbye Summer

Today is the last day of summer for me. We're at the cabin and it's Labor Day Weekend. It has been a cool weekend, making the transition from summer to fall easier than usual. This is the weekend we head up north to swim, fish, ski, tube and sunbathe one last time before school starts. Usually it is so hot that we dread taking the dock out of the water and putting the boat back on the trailer. But today we dread doing those things for another reason: it is COLD. The men braved the elements and got the jobs done, though. Today is the high point of the weekend, with peeks of sunshine and a temperature of 60 degrees. The past two days we've seen colder temperatures, dark clouds, rain, and WIND. The kids don't mind, though. They still put on their suits and head down to the beach, if only to lay in the sand to keep warm.

I'm sure you're thinking, "What is there to do at a cabin on the lake when the weather is no good?" Well, let me see... There are indoor fires instead of outdoor ones, there are towers of play dough instead of sand castles, and there are puzzles and books instead of boat rides and playing catch. And there is always fun. AND LIQUOR. It's always five o'clock somewhere, right?

So while it's sad to see summer go, autumn brings with it new scenery and adventures. Trips to the orchard, hunting for pumpkins, Friday night football, hot apple cider, crackling fires in the fireplace, changing leaves, scarecrows and Halloween costumes.

And it's not the end of our travels to "The Great White North", as my dad calls this place. We fully intend on spending many more weekends here this year, just like the last one, and enjoying all that winter has to offer: snowmobiling, sledding, ice fishing, and snowball fights.

We're putting away our bathing suits and trading them for snowsuits. And although the winters here can be long, it just makes the spring that much better when it finally comes around.