last day of summer

when do we find out that summer is over? is it when we have to put on that one extra layer while we are going out to take a walk at night? is it when we realize that our swimming pool is shutting down? is it when we all of sudden feel like that cozy warmth of an embrace? or maybe is it when we feel like that we have to play Bach in the car? summer is over, and fall is here. whatever it is, chocholate becomes a must. so today i decided to visit the grand canel, on the great hudson river valley. did you know that on the grand canel, there are actualy 34 locks (which are adjustable dams that adapt to various height of water along the canel). when the locks open (they are large structures of 25 meters of height), the water from the upper level falls into the lower level. within minutes, you see a large boat in the upper level sinking about 6 meters and that the water becomes even between the upper level and the lower level, almost like dropping down with gravity. what a spectacle. while i was burning in the sunshine of early september watching the boat dropping with the water, i realized that time flows just like the canel. only when the water drops from the upper level into the lower level, 15 meters between the dam, could we actually feel it, feel it like the sweetsour moment of realizing life fleeting without ever reversing, such as, the end of summer. happy autumn. if you ever visit the grand canel, which once used to be the heart and hearth of america, please visit the "locks." they'll lock your heart in, just like mine.