The grandest days of summer are not the first ones, when the school year has just completed, and families make their frantic escapes to vacations and overindulgence.
Nor are they in the middle of the season, when the heat is at its most brutal, and eager plans give way to resignation and waiting.
Summer's end is the very best time of year. When school resumes, but the workload is gentle, and friends who've spent the season apart can celebrate each other's stories.
When cold is still a distant forecast, but the evening's breeze brings respite, and anticipation begins to grow for the holidays just over the horizon.
When the day is growing shorter, but the sun has not yet surrendered, and there might be just enough light left for one more game, one more adventure, one more round, one more ride.
However much life may change, never forget these simple childhood joys.
