Fall is approaching

Labour Day now is behind us. The yellow school buses are on the road and students are lining up on boulevards waiting for them to arrive.
The sun is setting earlier each day and climbing out of bed later in the morning. Daytime temperatures are still warm but the evenings are much cooler, making it easier to sleep.
The parking lot at the marina was much emptier this past weekend as families either had returned home to the cities or were transporting their sons and daughters off to universities and colleges across the country.
Many of the boat slips of people who are summer acquaintances were empty. I would presume they have pulled their boats for the season and already have closed their summer cottages for the season.
Fall is approaching.
For the past week, chainsaws have been whining on the islands around us. Cottage owners are cleaning up the blowdowns and debris that has been distributed by the wind storms of a week ago. The big white and Norway pines that have been snapped off or blown over will provide countless days of firewood for years to come.
The cooler days of fall make it a good time to buck trees for wood stoves and furnaces. It can have a whole year to dry and cure.
My wife and I fished every day of the weekend and were surprised at all the boats fishing on humps near our cabin. She caught herself a record walleye to add to the bragging board at the cabin.
We counted numerous other boats chasing walleye. The weather all three days was perfect for fishing.
With the rain over the past week, the birch trees and maples are choosing to hold onto their green leaves. The leaves that had turned yellow and red were blown free with the huge storms and rain that visited the region.
The red squirrels are running about feverishly, dropping the pine cones from the trees and then removing all the seeds and stashing them away for winter.
The doe and her fawn, meanwhile, are becoming more skittish around our cabin. You will hear a snort and then a flash of their white tails as they bolt to the interior of the island.
The mosquitoes seem to have disappeared. The fire danger has lowered and we once again will be able to sit around a campfire at night. Early darkness makes star-gazing easier.
Family will arrive next week and we will sit around the campfire and reminisce, teasing one another and recounting the fishing.