It was here…..now it’s gone.  Damn summer is never long enough!  At least we have nothing to bitch about after a picture perfect weekend weather wise.  It really could not have been better here in upstate NY.  The unofficial end of summer ‘08 was a fun tour for yours truly. 

It began Friday with happy hour beers at Matthews in the East End.  Carl and Joe have made that joint a main stay for the East Enders.  After a quick stop for a bite at the Brighton, the cops kidnapped me and sent us east to Clifton Springs for a stop at the Yankee Clipper on Rt. 96.  Then it was off deeper east to Geneva for a police background check of Gallaghers downtown.  All seemed under control, so we then set off for Seneca Falls just to see if Hillary Clinton was visiting her favorite birthplace of women’s rights. Since she was no where to be found, we made a stop at Reds and enjoyed the Seneca County hospitality.

Since I never like to cheat on my homeland, it was off to Ontario County for Saturday’s fun.  Started in Victor with the Haarrs for some poolside fun with the family.  Everytime I enter Michele and Brad Haarr’s compund there are new toys to play with, along with plenty of great grub, like the now famous McElroy green bean casserole and Brad’s Beef on the Barby.  Now sufficiently stuffed, I continued south to Canandaigua Lake for the annual Ring of Fire celebration at The Haven (formerly known as SH).  I was joined by the Church family of Connecticut who had arrived by tank.  Nancy and Rick drive this massive vehicle that I affectionately refer to as “the tank”.  It’s a state-of-the-art family cruiser that is loaded down with Rick’s technological toys, guarded at all times by Connor and Cole Church.  I think it is ushered from state to state by a satellite that hovers above it constantly.  On such a beautiful, clear night on the lake, you could see the Ring for miles, along with hundreds of stars and satellites floating above us.  It truly was a remarkable sight, and I thank the Johnson family from The Haven for sharing their family treasure with me. 

Since the weekend fun was only half done, Sunday I traveled south to Gypsy Vine to spend the gorgeous day with my life long chums Mae and Tom Dow.  Talk about paradise!  We sat lakeside, surrounded by sunshine, Coors Lights, great chow and perfect friendship.  By the end of the perfect day, we were all glued to the Weather Channel, hoping for the best for New Orleans and Hurricane Gustav. By the time we called it a night, things looked bleak for the Gulf Coast.  Thankfully, by the time we checked in Monday morning, Dr. Steve Lyons was on the WC to inform us that Gustav had been downgraded to hurricane 2 status, sparing NO the worst.  Thankfully the levees held up, lives were saved and we were free to enjoy CA Lake for one more magnificent summer day.  

Now, here we get back to reality.  Summer has faded, work calls us back, schools are opening, more hurricanes are brewing and the daily grind goes on.  I do hope you had as great a summer as I did.  It was something to cherish in many ways.  I’m not bummed cuz fall has just as much potential….it’s one of my favorite times of the year.  If it is half as good as my summer I’ll be ultra happy!  Just as happy as I am to see that the US military has turned over control of another province in Iraq to the Iraqi army.  The insurgents formerly controlled Anbar province until the US routed them out.  They’re now gone like summer.  A sure sign of true progress and extreme courage and competence by our brave men and women.  God bless our troops!