Coming to the End

The nature gods are granting us perfect end of season Maine weather, perhaps a reward for all the suffering we endured--the endless rain, the cold--for most of June and July. Days are crystal clear and crisply dry, ideal for a long run or just sitting on the deck. The nights are cool, perfect for a roaring fire, late night stargazing and lots of cuddling. The moon is almost full now and so bright and golden. When I wake up in the middle of the night, moonlight is streaming into our bedroom from across the lake and I can't go back to sleep until I watch the moon sink behind the trees and settle into the lake.

This morning, Marlene and I walked around the lake, some 11 miles. It took us about 3 hours. When we started, there was truly not a cloud in the sky. But when we walked up Mayberry Hill and turned into Powhatan Road for the final stretch, a few white clouds straggled harmlessly across the sky.
I guess we're lucky this year that Labor Day is so late but it already feels like fall to me perhaps because we never got too much of a summer--just one short hot spell right before the wedding. Let the record show that I did jump in the water more than once that week--Liz is my witness--and actually swam around. With temperatures dropping to the low 40's at night, it's way too cold for me now. Next year.