Labor of Love

Another summer comes to a end for us all. Hello all trail blazers, hope your summer has gone well for you where ever you might be. Disappointed in our summer up here in Alaska as we beat our record of nothing to be proud of, thirty two days of consecutive measurable rainfall. Sure was hard to plan for anything when the weather was mostly cloudy with rain always in the forecast. Ever had cabin fever in the summer time? My weather records show that we had this same kind of rainy summer two years ago. Oh well there's always next summer. As we bring a close to this summer being the end of August turning to September and closing in on Labor Day, the only weekend everyone tries to "get away" from labor-work, I found a bit of lack of labor due to all the rain we received this summer yet I still was able to travel and get in some fishing for Halibut, do some bird watching and photographing some new birds that I haven't been able to get before. In the latter part of my summer, i worked to record all the adult birds bringing their immature young to my backyard and watching them feed their young. Seems this year too, I was able to record more warblers than I've ever seen before both around the cabin and out in my travels. Labor Day is supposed to be spent with family either around the house or going off to somewhere to get away from what we know as our everyday routine. I know our local state campgrounds fill up fast to get that last camp outing in. Here our State fair is going, and I'm sure a lot of these people will be at the fair. Then there's the moose hunting season that's about to start at the beginning of September. Now one would ask for both the men and the women up here who for take in the huntng experience, is that realy labor? Ah the great outdoors - fish, hunt & camp! The labor of love, if you don't mind what you do, fishing all summer, getting ready to moose and caribou hunt, then it's really not work. I think back on all of the rain we have received over the summer, keeping us both out of our kayaks and off the trails heading up a moutanin side, all the work I put in looking for and patiently waiting for the birds, seems like all I did over this summer come rain or shine was my labor of love. And here's the thing - I would do it again and again, over and over. If you don't mind the work; whatever it is you do, then why complain about it. Labor Day if you're not working, do nothing! That's right, no labor on Labor Day! But remember those who do have to work and not because they want to (wishing they to could be off on Labor Day) but because they have to. I choose to continue to labor on looking for birds or searching for the moose and fall colors before darker nights settle us in for what's expected in the coming months. If you don't mind the work you do as I do, then why labor about it? I love my labor and it has given back what I have put into it over all these years.

So here's some of my love of labor from over this summer.



See you on down the trail....

Buford T. Porcupine