Summer Down, Fall Forward

Another Labor Day weekend is now a memory here at the Jersey Shore,  and the busy tourist season has officially come to a close. The boardwalks will remain open as long as the weather, along with lowered beach and parking fees, encourage business. From the reports I have read, the area shore towns did not reap the revenue they needed, post Superstorm Sandy. Whether it was from a lack of available rentals or the economy or a combination of both, I really don’t know. Local residents, like me, are glad to have the beaches devoid of crowds on one hand but, on the other, feel for the local business owners. With kids back in school and weekend activities now taking place at home, the tourist season is done.

At lot of other changes take place after Labor Day. My old boss used to use the day as a marker to when things would improve in his retail business. He would always say that sales would pick up after Labor Day when people were no longer away. You could talk about a raise after Labor Day. That would inevitably be moved to the New Year which became the spring until summer rolled around again. “See me after Labor Day.” he would say once again.  

I notice that the hummingbirds, which carried out aerial warfare over the feeder outside my office window, have in one weekend, dwindled down to a straggler or two. Do they have a built in seasonal alarm that says when you see the first yellow school bus and fly like hell to Mexico? Here at the shore, when the cold days do arrive, many locals throw a winter coat over flip flops and shorts and hope it never snows. If it does they may put on shoes. Some of my neighbors have already torn out the summer annuals and planted mums. To me a mum without a pumpkin is a fall faux pas. Wait until October. Why rush the season. Do you really want to get older faster? 

Why is September special to me today when I hated it as a school kid? The weather is fine, the surf fishing picks up and I am the only one on the beach with my feet in the wash. See the picture above with me missing. If I had not taken it I would have been the only one in it. Should the fish stop biting there is no competition for sea glass collecting. Everything, from apples and squash to corn and tomatoes, is at its peak here in the Garden State right now. Even the price of lobsters and clams goes down at the passing of Labor Day. The restaurants are not crowded and they compete for my business. There is no longer bumper to bumper traffic getting to and from the beach that forced me to use my secret route in summer. The grass is green again and I look forward to seeing the first signs of fall foliage. If you live in a temperate climate, as I do, open your window at night when you go to bed and just listen. What you hear is the music of the night, all night, and it is beautiful. To some it is just bugs making noise; but to me it is a free concert.

 Do not worry Dear. The real part of September that is special to me is our anniversary. Maybe I should have opened the last paragraph with that. Ya think?