Wisconsin summers are typically three months of the year (June-August) and once mid September hits, we start preparing for the winter ahead. For many women, it's canning time and for the men it's getting projects done around the farm before the cold spell hits. Labor Day weekend in the north signifies more than cookouts and patriotism. It signifies a change of season when leaves start to turn vibrant colors and autumn has begun to set in. It's also a time to be at one with nature. It's the last weekend that many (especially tourists) take to the beautiful and majestic surrounding lakes. (My favorite is Lake Holcombe) Northerners begin pulling in docks, sealing up and storing boats and pontoons for the winter.
Every Labor Day for me, is remembering those three months through the years jam packed with camping, fishing, playing with cousins, pulling weeds, planting in grandma's garden, and swimming in surrounding lakes. It's watching the geese fly in their carefully planned "V" pattern south while wondering why one goose gets to lead the pack over another. It's saying goodbye to some animals and saying hello to others (Bambi). It's knowing that nature will change whether one is ready or not. To appreciate the change of time and seasons, one needs to live it and be in it to become it. I have done that and I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything.
Pictured below is my grandpa and I taking a cruise on a brisk autumn Wisconsin day quite a few years ago. Man, I miss him and that four wheeler too!
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