No more State Fair, the Olympics are done and a lot of people are preparing to go back to school. It doesn't feel like Summerfest was very long ago. Usually, these thoughts would trigger my early-onset seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
With just a few short weeks of summer left, what will you be doing to kick the changing-weather blues?
To answer that question, 88Nine producer Makenzie Boettcher and I went to Bradford Beach for inspiration.
We found Neal Steeno at Bradford Beach kicking back with a book. Steeno appreciates all the seasons that Milwaukee has to offer, especially Fall. He's not having a hard time saying goodbye to the warmer months.
"Truly in the Midwest, you get that luscious, colorful, beautiful Fall," he said. "Packers are on, life just becomes great again. Crack a beer, that's your day."
Things you can still do with summer:
The Packers' regular season officially starts on September 11, which is still technically summer. The Brewers are playing into October, too, unfortunately not in the playoffs. But the regular season closes out on October 2, so you can still catch a game at Miller Park and tailgate for a few last home stands.
Indian Summer Festival is taking place on the Summerfest grounds on September 9-11.
And for music lovers, there are a couple outdoor festivals left in Milwaukee. The Bay View Bash street festival and Rock the Green are both coming up on Saturday, September 17.
The Milwaukee County Parks Beer Gardens are still open daily until at least October, which have been a huge hit since being re-introduced a few summers ago. Milwaukee County Golf Courses are also open until the ground is covered in snow. Golfing may not be for everyone, but it might be my favorite thing to do outside.
There are plenty of things to do downtown as well -- patios to dine on along the Riverwalk and a few companies offering tours by boat on the river and out onto the lake. You can catch up on some exercise and sight-seeing by renting a Bublr bike and pedaling the streets from any one of its dozens of locations.
Don’t be like me.
I’ve wasted many a summer dwelling on the things I didn’t do. Get out and enjoy some of the last outdoor activities the season has to offer. Thankfully, you won’t need to hibernate and Internet stream your SAD away, yet. There are still a few things left to do outside.
The only thing we can do to appreciate what good weather we have left is to actually get outside and do something in it.
It can be literally anything.
Click the player above to hear Makenzie's Community Story.