Labor Day Weekend

Once again it is Labor Day weekend in the US. For most of us this is the signal of the end of summer (which doesn't officially end until September 21st or so). The days are noticeably shorter, the evenings are cooler and the football season has begun. Many people go to their summer retreats and being the process of closing it for the winter. Others close their swimming pools and bring their boats in for shelter from the harsh weather we know is to come. For me, Labor Day weekend means two things; the last weekend I can count on being able to grill and the US Open Tennis Tournament. I am an avid tennis fan and have been since the mid 1960's. I was thinking about this the other day and I realized that this is just one of many things I have to thank my Father for. (And yes, I did just end that sentence with a preposition!)

When we moved to Nigeria in 1965 he took up the game of tennis and has been hooked ever since. In the 1970's my Dad worked for the Midwest Universities Consotrium for International Activities (MUCIA) as its president. In this capacity he spent a great deal of time traveling the world helping countries set up their systems of higher education in conjunction with seven schools in the midwest US. He was not home for most of my high school years. We had a world map on the wall over the kitchen table, and we would track his movements every morning over breakfast. If you watch the US Open, or any major tournament, you will see the pros walk on to the court carrying these huge bags which contain their rackets. It is this vision which always reminds me of my Dad.

Since Dad would travel around the world on a pretty regular circuit, he had memberships at various tennis clubs. All of which seemed to have different requirements for his rackets, so he carried a huge bag, like the pros do whenever he went on this trips. Why so many rackets? In those days the rackets were made of wood and had much smaller heads. But depending on the surface and the humidity of the court, you needed to use different kinds of strings. Some were synthetic, but others were actually made from the gut of some animals. So he needed a different racket for playing in Delhi than he did for playing in Saudi, grass courts or clay, and so on. When Dad wasn't traveling the world, he would pack a tuna sandwich and an apple for lunch every day. He would eat this lunch at his desk because he would spend his actual lunch time on the tennis court - every day. He would also play at least once on the weekends.

Dad is now 83 years old, and plays at 7:00am twice a week with three other octagenarians. He says by this age you really don't have to run so much, you have gotten really good at saying, "nice shot". I really look forward to the four major tennis tournaments that are televised each year, but especially the US Open since it is my Labor Day/end of summer tradition. Each of the four majors has its own charm and special qualities - the history of Wimbledon, the fun of the clay at the French, and the quirkiness of the Austrailian. But it is the US Open which signifies the end of summer and the begining of the new year in my mind. It is after Labor Day that school really begins, (Michigan recently passed a law that school cannot begin before Labor Day any more!) and it is the school year to which my seasonal clock is tuned. Maybe it is because I was raised by academics, or maybe it is because I raised children for so many years. I am not sure exactly why this is, but for me the year begins in September. For my friends in Turkey, I hate to rub it in, but I bought thick New York Strip steaks, hot dogs and baby back ribs to grill this weekend. :)