Officially, summer is still around, will be with us for a few more weeks, but unofficially Labor Day Monday signals the end of another season of fun in the sun. People here at camp packing up and closing down their campers, and tomorrow sees most kids heading back to school, fall classes starting as a new school year begins. Drive around to many of the seasonal camp grounds in and around Sullivan County, into the small towns that meet their needs for a few months each year, and you can watch the sidewalks being rolled up, seasonal store fronts boarding up and closing down until next year when the fun starts all over again.For some, summer's end signals a return to normalcy, a return to the quiet that is living in rural America. No more is the local Walmart or Shop Rite store going to be crowded each and every day as shoppers grab their supplies for a weekend at camp. Restaurants that have recommended reservations all summer long running specials to bring people through the doors, the crowds ever diminishing as winter gets closer to knocking on our county's door, bringing with it colder temperatures and the snow that keeps us all inside.
Outside the rain is pouring, the few people here at camp huddled under tarps, staying despite the weather, snatching up every second of a season that has gone by way to fast. Summer is closing, coming to an end, the weather cheating us of one last day sitting poolside before staff closes it up, confirming to one and all that this season of fun in the sun is over, the fall is soon to begin. So farewell our sunny season friend, and thank you for the memories created while basking in your rays. Know that you will be missed, and know thoughts of spring and the summer that follows in its footsteps will keep us company as we turn up our thermostats remembering fondly what it is like to sit in lawn chairs shirtless in your summer sun.
