Tony Brewer View

On this special day, the anniversary of the twin towers bombing, I was surprised to notice as I was driving around how many businesses were flying their American flags at full staff.  Yes, there were a lot of businesses that were flying their flags at half-staff, but it seemed that just as many were flying at full staff.  I don’t remember hearing an official proclamation that flags were supposed to fly at half-staff, but the post offices and government buildings were definitely at half staff, so I’m guessing that the proper protocol for the day would be for half-staff.  I wondered if the the full staff businesses were simply ignorant or just plain arrogant in some way.  Were these people proclaiming their “gee, we’re Americans and can’t be taken down” or were they “gee, we don’t think that the victims of the terrorist attack deserve the respect of a half-staff flag?”  I guess I’ll never know!

One thing that I have been able to do over the summer, and will be looking forward to continuing to do is go to fairs and festivals and trade shows.  I like to look at all of the displays that the different vendors have set up and how they have managed to showcase their wares to their best advantage.  The exhibit rooms are lined with fancy displays that include special trade show flooring, or trade show carpet, or customized logo mats that help to make their products and business look more appealing.  I have to admit, some of the vendors look very accomplished in the way they showcase their products!

Meanwhile, outside on the fairgrounds there are rows upon rows of vendors who have set up some kind of shelter, such as a logo canopy or tent where they can drive their vehicle right to the back of their display.  I’m sure that makes it more convenient for them to load/unload their merchandise!  And the outside displays always seem to have a more festive feel to them than the indoor displays.  I think that it’s the extra natural sunlight that gives them that advantage!

Although I always enjoy long weekends, Labor Day is probably not my favorite Holiday.  Yes, we have all kinds of great barbecue/picnic food, but it marks the end of a too short summer and the beginning of the seasons where the flowers don’t bloom and the trees are barren.  Driving cars becomes more dangerous, and people are less comfortable.  I always feel sad at this time of year, I feel as if another summer has gone by without having accomplished as much as I would have liked to accomplish.  And by accomplish, I mean that I didn’t get to spend as much time enjoying myself as I wish I had.  Summertime is just too short, plain and simple.