Winding up the Season!

 What a great Labor Day Weekend this is turning out to be! Yesterday was pretty darned nice except for a sprinkle or two late in the day (I measured .02 in. this morning) and today has been just about perfect. The final Sunfish Race went ahead as planned after two previous delays due to weather, and I'm sure the party at Smith's to make the season awards is going well. It looks promising for the band playing at Point Comfort in about half an hour AND the fireworks later this evening. Lots going on to officially end the season here at Joe's Pond!We have been told that several people are not leaving as they normally would - reluctant to head back to their winter homes because of the prevalence of COVID-19 in some of those areas. Better safe than sorry, and if we have a really nice fall, they could be in for a very pleasant "extended summer" and be glad they didn't miss it. Not everyone's camp is sufficiently insulated for really cold weather, but with a little tinkering, most can manage to extend their stay at least until Thanksgiving or maybe even Christmas.

These are photos sent to me by Andy Rudin. He said the race begins right in front of his cottage, so he has a great view of the boats lining up. Thanks, Andy, for sending these shots. We will have the results of this race and the awards for the year later.

 Youngsters will be heading back to school in towns in Vermont this next week. Many schools are doing in-person classes at least a few days a week; some are spacing classes in various ways to allow for kids to distance. Our granddaughter, Tangeni, told us her fourth grade math class will be outdoors - as long as the weather permits. She is excited to be getting back to school, and we hope all the children can be back in school safely.

Our older granddaughter, Jo-Ann, in Texas, told us she is getting used to virtual classes, doing the best she can to adapt, but says it's difficult. She lives off campus and has an occasional in-person class that meant she couldn't stay in Vermont and do the virtual classes - which would have been easier all around at least for this first semester. She's coping - and this is her senior year. Hard to believe she will be graduating from college in 2021. It seems like just a short time ago that she was discovering snow for the very first time and I was warning her about not trusting ice on ponds and brooks. Even though she was not a big fan of winter and snow, she learned to ski and managed the cold like a real trooper. However, when it came time to choose a college, she insisted she wanted to "go someplace warm." She achieved that.  Last year Texas was very hot and this year has seen record heat at well. Lesson learned: be careful what you ask for!