What a great way to start out September! Almost picture prefect weather heading into my favorite season. Warm sunny days and a nice cool down as evening arrives on the scene. You couldn’t ask for any better weather than this.

My wife, Jean, and I spent part of last week at the cabin “fixin’ and fish’n.” The weather we enjoyed up there was picture-perfect and the leaves were definitely starting to make the change. There was a touch of gold almost everywhere you looked and the red maples sprinkled here and there added a special touch of color to the almost-serene feeling that you got while fishing on a crystal-clear lake. There were two days where the temperature was hovering around 80 degrees and there was not even a hint of a breeze. Even with the high temperatures the feeling of fall was definitely in the air. Ahh, memories!

After spending the last week up north and enjoying the great weather, it was time to head home and start painting the house. Now there are times when a person sees things in the outdoors that can be viewed as an omen of things to come. As I was entrenched atop my stepladder painting the overhang on my house a flock of turkey vultures flew ever so low over the driveway and seemed to be hovering above where I was perched. At the time I thought to myself, “I hope they aren’t trying to tell me something.” So far, so good, except for the minor thing of the step ladder falling on me when I slipped while trying to move it. I guess it’s better than falling off, although cleaning up the paint that it spilled on the way down wasn’t in the plans.

I guess I’m kind of in transition now because painting the house has taken priority over fishing. I have often wondered over the years about the definition of certain words. Take the word “we” when referring to painting the house or painting a room. Somehow the word “me” is translated by my wife into the word “we” even though there is only “me” with paintbrush in hand. Oh well, hopefully “we” will have it wrapped up within the next couple of weeks and “I” can still get in some late-fall fishing. If things work out I do plan on heading to the cabin at least one or possibly two more times this fall.

While driving around the countryside you can see the beans are turning a golden brown and the tassels on the corn are also turning color. This is a great time of year to enjoy the beauty of nature and you don’t have to drive but a few miles in any direction to enjoy it. I have written often about how much I enjoy the beauty of northern Minnesota but we have a lot to brag about right here in our area.

With the nice weather we have been enjoying, it is a great time to get out and enjoy one of our many parks or just fire up the old, gas-powered buggy and go for a leisurely drive. My favorite time to enjoy a drive in the country is late afternoon or evening. There is something about the evening when the sun is still holding onto the sky but the air is cooling off, which gives it that special feeling as if it’s saying we’re almost to the end of another great day.

Now is a good time to plan a day or even a weekend enjoying the scenic beauty of our great state in the fall. A day spent driving along the Mississippi River is a day you won’t soon forget. If you want to take a little longer trip, a visit to Gooseberry Falls can make for a wonderful weekend getaway. These are just a couple of ideas and keep in mind the fall colors in northern Minnesota usually peak around the end of the month.

For the deer hunters out there, the archery season begins on September 19 and runs through December 31.