Labor Day weekend is traditionally, if not officially, the last weekend of summer. It’s been a real, live summer; a hot, sticky, lots of popsicles and swims in the lake kind of summer. Even though the temperature dropped 15 degrees literally over night, I spent a good part of this weekend soaking up those last delicious moments that happen at the end of each season. The ones you aren’t quite ready to let go of even though you’re looking forward to the next best thing.
It was a tad chilly this weekend but you better believe I was going to lay out. I grabbed a blanket, book, and boyfriend and went to the park near our apartment. I just wanted to feel the sun on my face and smell the sweet smell of freshly cut grass one last time. This may sound dramatic but if you live in the Midwest, you know these days are fleeting and you know how difficult it is in February to remember what it’s like to walk outside and not hate…well, everything. The above pic was taken pre-park nap. This is my kind of outdoorsiness.
In keeping with the theme of “one last ___”, it was also time for one last summer cocktail. Taste testing at Whole Foods procured us a bottle of Blackberry wine. Way too sweet to drink straight but we played around a bit and came up with this:
A little vodka, a little blackberry wine, a little soda water and muddled raspberries. Delightful. We all know how much I love champagne so I’m thinking a splash of the blackberry wine topped with champagne will be my Fall cocktail. Replacing the standard Fall favorite of Captain and Apple Cider. Stay tuned.
People who have dogs were out in full force, playing fetch in the hot summer sun one last time. We have a cat and it’s generally not socially acceptable to take her places so Ryan played fetch with her inside.
Ryan throws red ball. Luna Bell jumps, meows and waits for him to do it again. This went on for a good 15 minutes. Our cat is the best dog ever.
So, farewell Summer. Thanks for being so sunny and warm and sparkly on the water outside my window. Please don’t be shy about showing up again, perhaps as early as April. We’ll be anxiously waiting…