In Maine, summer is pretty much over, and although it wasn’t the best summer ever—too much rain and too hot even for me—I am still sorry to see it end. Soon the hummingbirds will begin their long migration, and soon we won’t hear loons calling to each other on the Narrows Pond. The male goldfinches will lose their brilliant yellow, and frost will begin nipping the tomatoes. Yes, I know. With its brilliant color and crisp days, fall is beautiful in Maine. Perfect for bike riding. But right after fall comes winter—that cold time of high heating bills, and for someone like me, who is bothered by arthritis, it is a difficult time, hard to be outside, hard to get around.

Never mind! I will focus on apples and brilliant foliage and as many bike rides as I can squeeze in before it gets too cold. Ditto for meals on the patio.

This past weekend—Labor Day weekend—we had a wiz-bang dinner to celebrate Shannon and Mike’s wedding anniversary. (They’ve been married 3 years!)  They came on Saturday, and while the weather wasn’t perfect—we had rain showers—it was good enough, as Shannon put it, to do everything we wanted to do. We had grilled bread on the patio, and while we ate, the dogs—our Liam and their Holly—played and sniffed and ran in the backyard at the edge of the forest.

Then came a rain shower, and in we went. Would the rain stop so that Clif could grill the steak we bought from Wholesome Holmstead? By gum, it did, and although we ate inside, we had grilled steak. And also lobster rolls with lobster  cooked fresh that morning by Hallowell Seafood; corn on the cob from Jillson’s Farm; and red potatoes from our own Farmer Kev. Even the butter—Kate’s Butter—came from Maine. How good it all was, and how full we all were after the meal.

After dinner, as we cleaned the table, I looked outside and noticed the rain didn’t seem to be coming back.

“Should we try having a fire?” I asked.

“Why not?” Clif asked.

He and Mike and the dogs went outside to start a fire. The weather continued to hold, and we were able to have homemade ice cream pie as we sat around the fire and chatted. As evening settled over the backyard, the dogs stayed closer to us. There is something both compelling and soothing about sitting around a fire, and we stayed by the fire until the rain came back.

But by that time, it was getting late, and it was time for Shannon, Mike, and Holly to leave.

Happy anniversary, Mike and Shannon! A lovely evening with a very lovely couple.