Labor Day weekend sneaked up this year and caught the Island unawares. There we were, blissfully ensconced in the heat, the rush and the clamor of summer, still savoring beach days and ice cream cone nights, when over the shoulder the silent marauder appeared and — poof — September arrived.

Suddenly it was time to say goodbye to summer friends and house guests, time to send college students packing, to ease the jitters of high school freshmen, and to think — but only just think — about fall things like fishing and football and fires in the fireplace.

In a resort community such as the Vineyard, Labor Day is a time of transition, a time to look forward to the quieter season ahead and to look back at the season just past. Tomorrow the traditional summer exodus begins, and all roads lead to the Steamship Authority where the lines are long and the boats are sold out in one direction only: to the mainland.

And Islanders are smiling, because they love September.