Summer is finally here.
After a wetter July than normal around these parts, summer finally decided to make an appearance in these last few weeks.
Sure, there’s been sunshine off and on but there had been a real lack of really warm summer days. You know, the 30-plus degree weather where all you want to do is hit the lake, the beach or some other cool body of water.
The type of heat that makes you put off dinner until seven or eight o’clock at night because it’s just too hot to cook.
Thank you summer for finally gracing us with your presence. But couldn’t you have done it just a little bit earlier?
Summer’s finally here just in time to head back indoors.
I know the kids probably don’t want to hear it but school starts again in just less than two weeks.
That means no more late nights, and gone are the days of putting off dinner until the evening hours as that precious time has to be put towards homework, making school lunches, work lunches and getting the kids to bed at a decent hour.
Gone soon will be the carefree days of summer, replaced by regular routines and, in some cases, regimented schedules.
Getting the kids to dance class, soccer practice, and various other activities will replace nights sitting around the campfire roasting hotdogs and marshmallows.
But the end of summer isn’t all bad.
After all, September signals the start of hockey season.
I was surprised to discover that the Campbell River Storm play its first exhibition game of the 2016/17 season this Friday night.
The following weekend is the club’s regular season home opener.
It’s hard to believe it’s that time again.
It doesn’t seem too long ago that I was at Rod Brind’Amour Arena covering the Storm’s last few playoff games at season’s end.
And it doesn’t seem so long ago that I was making plans for my summer trip, hammering out the details and eagerly anticipating my upcoming time away.
That trip is now almost a distant memory.
I exaggerate of course but still, it seems time is just flying by.
Next week marks the beginning of September.
In a week and a half it will be Labour Day and before we know it, we’ll be gearing up for fall.
The next time I write in this space, the kids will already be back at school, with their first days of the new school year behind them.
Hopefully the sunshine sticks around for a little while longer. Even though the calendar will soon read September, it would still be nice to hold onto those warm sunny days for a while longer.
There’s still time to enjoy the sunshine for a few hours after school gets out at the end of the day, and there’s always the weekend.
But before I get too ahead of myself, there is after all still one last opportunity to take advantage of summer.
Next week’s long weekend is the last chance to have an extra day or two to enjoy camping with friends and family, to go away on vacation or simply just enjoy the freedom of summer before it slips away.
You can stick around for a bit longer summer.