Fall was in the air. The birch trees on Nowhere Island were showing their golden colors. Our lone birch tree in front of our sunroom had all its leaves turn golden, and the west winds of Saturday blew half of them away. The squirrels were dropping the green pinecones from the branches of the white pines onto the red tin roof of our cabin. Nothing startles you awake quicker than that loud crashing sound.
It is a sign that they are storing up food for winter.
For many cabin owners Labour Day marks the end of the season and much of the weekend is spent draining water systems, cleaning out groceries from fridges and cupboards.
The parking lot at the marina is half full this Labour Day weekend. For our American neighbors with kids, school is already in session. Many of our Canadian friends are doing the grand transfer moving their children off to colleges and universities. The lake is quiet. There are few glowing lights in the evening. Our sunset is moving around the corner of the island. This weekend there is less boat traffic.
The merganser and mallard ducklings are grown and are now taking flight. The twin fawns that come into our yard daily are outgrowing their birth colors and are fast growing to reach their mother’s height.
Morning comes later and evening comes earlier. The good is that the bugs and mosquitoes have mostly disappeared, and a warm campfire can be enjoyed late into the evening. The hot temperatures of July and August have moderated, and the cool nights make sleeping easier.
The lake levels are being lowered. I now must step up onto the dock, when in early July I stepped down onto the dock.
It was cool Sunday morning. I put on shoes and socks giving up my sandals and shorts replacing the summer wardrobe with long pants and flannel. The thermometer in the cabin only registered eleven degrees. For the first time in three months, we started a fire in the wood stove. There is something to be said of wood smoke in the autumn air.
