Fall Fun
Danielle Stein, Unsplash
My wife walked out of the house—two big floats flung over her shoulder and a smile on her face. It was just a few days before Labor Day and we knew the time spent floating aimlessly around the lake was limited. The mornings were already cooling down and was no longer comfortable to leave the windows open all night.
“Ready to go,” she asked?
“You bet,” I said.
She threw the floats in the bed of the truck, climbed into the front seat, and snapped her seatbelt. We were off. As we drove, we talked through the events of the day—our youngest kids’ first day of school, the impending visit of her parents for the holiday weekend, and general small talk about her workday.
In a few moments, we were deep inside Ponderosa State Park in our hometown of McCall, Idaho, kicking our flip-flops off in the sand and pushing off from shore on our floats. We laid back, looked at the bright blue sky, and enjoyed the sun on our faces and the time away from computers.
As we floated and chatted, we heard teenage voices getting closer and closer. Looking up, we spied the high school cross-country team kicking off their tennis shoes and jumping the water as a post-practice cool-down.
We smiled and said hello to some of our kids’ friends—noting that this was yet another example that summer was moving away too quickly.
Our conversation turned to the coming fall and our plans—work and play—and I began to get excited for the coming change of seasons. I was looking forward to my annual fall fly-fishing trip with buddies and an impromptu trip I was taking with my dad and brothers. I found myself looking forward to fall tradeshows and chance to re-connect with advertising clients and readers—folks I had only seen through a video screen for the last few years.
Life was about to speed up, but that’s how it always goes.
I know all of you are in the same boat. Back-to-school and fall sports bring additional challenges for your department as does the change of weather—especially in the northern climates where leaves seem to never stop falling, grass somehow grows faster, and things with water need to be winterized. It’s also the time your seasonal staff members go back to school, often leaving you short-handed.
To help you out, we’ve dedicated this issue to managing the fall change-over. I won’t ruin the surprise for you, but there are lots of good ideas inside. All in all, I’m happy with our team’s effort. I hope you are, too.
Have a great month!
Rodney J. Auth
Publisher
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