Dawn broke with a brilliant late September sun and still a hard wind. Kiteboarders raced through whitecaps on Sengekontacket Pond, framed on the landward side by trees that swayed and danced with every gust. Further inland some swamp maples have begun to turn, dropping scarlet leaves onto moss carpets. In the meadows and along the hillsides, goldenrod has emerged in great waves of lemon and ochre.

Goodbye September, and welcome, October.