My where has the summer gone? Summer does not officially end until around September 21^st but in less than two weeks my youngest goes back to school and for many the return of school means the end of summer.

It has been a hot one this summer, hotter than most I think and as I sit here dreading the heat of the day I look forward to the cool autumn nights. Here at the beach we will continue to have hot days clear into October but the nights and mornings will be very pleasant. Of course we will have to deal with the storms. We seem to get most of our hurricanes the end of August and into September. It’s not uncommon for the kids to miss at least a few days the first few weeks of school.

Even though it is ungodly hot I can tell by the shadows cast by the trees in my back yard that fall is near. This is the time of year to plant one more hill of cucumbers. The first of September I will plant a little lettuce and maybe some peas. The pansies will be in the stores soon, they offer a variety of color and will some times last until summer. I must say I love the fall on the Outer Banks.