To me it's not summer until I feel the sand between my toes at the beach, eat sloppy slices of watermelon, watch the Grand River boat traffic from a perch atop Pickle Bill's rooftop deck and frequent a local farmers market.   I usually do all those things in May or early June just to make the season official.
This time of year I give a lot of thought to summer things I didn't do so I  can fit them in  before the leaves start to fall and autumn has arrived.

 I've already eaten clams, taken the morning the chill off  with a fire in my fireplace,  and shopped for both caulk and firewood. This weekend Ill be heading out to Ohio's wine country for a cask tasting of dry reds .from the Grand River Valley winegrowers so even though the calendar still says summer it's quickly drawing to a close.

Let me  hear your suggestions for paying tribute to the long summer of 2012, which to my way of thinking was a fine sunny one, though my farming friends may disagree. How do you say goodbye to summer? Tell me here in the comment function or email me at JPodolak@News-Herald.com.

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