The Case Against Autumn

Summer is almost over, and fall is in the air yet again. Each year around this time, people living in more temperate climates go through what seems like a mental breakdown. Immediately after a blazing hot stretch of summer weather, a rain storm sweeps through and clears out the humidity, the heat, the sweltering air, and ushers in cooler temperatures. The air is bit crisper, the sky a bit bluer, and as children begin boarding school buses once more, we realize that our too-short summer is coming to an end.

Autumn seems to have come sooner than usual this year. Here in Maine, the entire month of June was a complete washout, quite literally. Twenty-one of the thirty days in that month were filled with miserable rain. The temperature rarely rose above the 70 degree mark. Even July had its fair share of rainy weather and cool temps, though the end of the month finally brought us some favorable weather. It was only August that brought warm weather and sunny skies, but even that was somewhat uncomfortable for some weeks, with temps reaching the 90s and humidity levels near the same number.

Today, on the last day of August, my Twitter friend Timorousme summed up what I think a lot of us are feeling today:

I have a love/hate relationship with the distinct autumnal chill in the air…
Timorousme, from Twitter

And it’s true. Many of us are confused by the weather this year. Despite being new to Maine, I’m still a New Englander and am used to finicky weather patterns that change at the drop of a hat. But man! This year has been absolutely crazy. It seems as if we were robbed in some way, stripped of our days spent at the beach and nights drinking beers in the backyard. It’s almost unfair that we were given only a few weeks to cram as much summer fun as we could into our already harried lives, hoping against hope that Mother Nature, that mercurial beast, would cooperate by allowing us a weekend respite from her wet weather. Perhaps there is a bigger life lesson in there, that we should seize opportunity when it presents itself, take advantage of a good situation while it’s still around. Or maybe we just got robbed.

Whatever the case, we look forward to the slight chill and turning leaf colors that autumn brings. It’s really a cleansing time of year, when nature throws off the heavy air of sun and sweat and puts on a more comfortable set of clothes. Still, many of us can’t help but lament at the disappointment of the summer that barely was.

Chris Cavallari

About Chris Cavallari

Chris is a longtime digital content producer based in Maine. Since 1999, he has been an early adopter and active participant in blogging, podcasting, and social media, and has been guiding small and mid-sized businesses in leveraging video, social media, and digital publishing to the fullest. With an avid love of travel and the outdoors, Chris started PartTimeVagabond.com in 2009 to give him a platform to showcase his outdoors and travel adventures, and to help educate others in doing the same.