When I looked out my window this morning it was there, the town crier of fall, termination dust. I have felt the simple chill of the evenings and the mornings creeping into mid-day. But this final sign of the times is the biggest chill of all. "Termination dust" is the first sign of snow in the mountains sprinkled down like powdered sugar on a crepe. It melts away quickly, but the damage is done. Fall is officially here and winter cannot be too far behind.

I don't mean to complain. This is my favorite time of year after all. The daylight, though growing shorter, is still long enough to enjoy. The mosquitoes are all gone. The trees are turning yellow and the mountains, with the exception of the temporary white hue this morning, are turning red. The weather is cool, but not yet the freezing temp's of winter that require full body gear. This is the best time to get outside, on the mountains, by the rivers, on one of the hundreds of trails that we have here in Anchorage and the surrounding Chugach State Park. The blueberry's are ripe for the picking and it is time to fill my buckets.

Still, there is something sad about the end of summer... the wilting plants in the garden that I have tended so faithfully over the summer, the flocks of geese in their amazing "V" formations abandonning us for warmer climates, and the utter darkness of the middle of the night when even the sun scurries away from the approaching frigid winter.

Maybe that is the hardest thing of all. Our beloved light is leaving us. Our famously long summer days, when even the wee hours of the morning are grey with leftover light, are over. The endless summer light brings boundless energy, sleepless nights, and the 1:00 AM cry of, "Oh my gosh, is it that late already?" Now comes the flip side, the dark, the tired fall and sleepy winter. Fall is the darkest time really. Once it snows, the light reflects across the land and your night eyes can see almost everything. But in the fall, the darkness is complete.

I knew it was coming, but the termination dust brought it home. Summer is gone. Another year has gone by. It is time to put away the hose, hunker down, and find the snow shovel. Wish me luck.