Today is Labor Day in the United States. A curious day when everyone “celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers” mostly by having a 3-day weekend.

It’s the unofficial end of the summer. I say unofficial, because the climatological end of summer is on the Fall equinox, usually around the Sept. 21 or 22. But no one cares. In the States, Labor Day is the date that counts, because it’s the one with the 3-day holiday weekend.

Besides, Labor Day is the start of the official U.S. Football season, and the pre-season really, truly doesn’t count.

So this beautiful field of summer flowers is probably gone for the summer.

Instead, we’re on our way to a scene more like this hayfield, maybe minus the hay, but you get the idea.

I keep thinking of fall in Anchorage. The Alaskan term is “termination dust”. It’s the first snow that falls on the Chugach Mountains surrounding the Anchorage bowl. And, you guessed it, termination dust marks the termination, or end, or summer. It usually falls around Labor Day, give or take.

Summers in Anchorage are brief but spectacular. I miss them. The winters there, not so much. But this picture (like all the pictures in this post, from wikimedia commons) captures it perfectly. Termination dust has fallen. Summer is over.

Time to curl up with a good book.