Monday, August 13, 2012

Labor Day and Transitions

I grew up on the east coast and back there, school started right after Labor Day. Since it was a holiday, Dad was home and that meant we got the grill fired up. It also meant one final day at the beach.  As long as the tide was in, we were at the beach. It helps that it was only two blocks away. We all trooped down to the beach safe in the knowledge that even if our mother wasn’t there, someone’s mother was always available to keep an eye on things.

September is viewed by many as a time of transitions.  It’s hard to talk about fall when it’s going to be 110 here in a few days. I’ll give it a shot.
One of my favorite things about fall was the leaves changing. Yes, we could take rides up to Vermont and New Hampshire for some fantastic views. But my favorite was tramping through the piles of red, yellow and green leaves that spilled onto the sidewalk from someone’s front yard.
 Here in Southern Arizona we do have season changes, just not as severe. It gets cold, it does snow, just usually up in the mountains. It can stay there as far as I’m concerned.  I still like the fall, the temperature goes down under 100. This makes me happy, even if there are no colorful piles of leaves to walk though.

What is your favorite thing about Labor day and how do you handle transitions?

4 comments:

Sarah Raplee said...

Hi Elaine,

It must have been wonderful to have the beach so close when you were a child!

I loved having four definite seasons for the twenty-one years we lived in Iowa. I might complain about shoveling the snow, but I loved the watching it fall.

Since we moved to Portland four years ago, we haven't seen much snow at home, but we get to play in snowy mountains an hour away. The leaves do change color here in the fall, and numerous fruit trees flower in the spring. It's cloudy and rainy a lot in the winter, so all-in-all I still get the four seasons weather.

I have to admit it's nice to have flowers blooming year round!

Unknown said...

My favorite thing about Labor Day is that final Bar-be-que and getting together with family and friends. I like a change in seasons. CA and OR we don't get that big a change. When I lived in MI I loved fall and all the gorgeous leaves. Fall would be my favorite season.

Paty Jager said...

Elaine, one of my bucket list items is being in the NE in the fall to see for myself all the beautiful leaves I see in photographs.

Our Labor Day has turned into just that. WE are laboring in the hay field.

Judith Ashley said...

Hi Elaine, While I love coming to Arizona for the Desert Dreams Conference and enjoy spending time with friends who live in the area, I don't love 100+ degree temperatures!

While I love the seasons, the idea of shoveling feet (instead of inches) of snow or living cooped up in my air conditioned house, keeps me right where I am - Oregon.

Snow comes in inches, temperatures seldom reach 100 degrees, leaves do turn colors, and my favorite weather - cool and cloudy in the morning (high 60's and low 70's) with the clouds burning off around 1 or 2 p.m., temperature climbing to 75 or so and then the sun goes down and we cool off again for the evening - is a frequent visitor.

I do envy you that two block walk to the beach! That would get me out and walking every day!