You know the feeling—an average day becomes an adventure, the sun is shining, the beer is cold, and you find yourself sitting back and remarking, "This is what summer in Oregon is all about." To mark the first day of fall and bid farewell to the warmest summer on record, our staff wades in to the crisp swimming hole of nostalgia. Read on, and leave your own summer memory in the comments before you scoot off to sip your first pumpkin spice latte of the year.

"Taking my six-year-old son on our first Sunday Parkways ride. He road the entire SE loop (7-miles!) grinning from ear to ear, yelling “Daddy, I can ride anywhere!” We rode through water misters, picnicked in the park, bounced in bounce houses, and shared an ice cream—pretty much the perfect summer day." —Brian Barker, contributing editor

"Getting sandy, head to toe, while making drip castles with my kiddo near the tide pools at the foot of hulking Haystack Rock—we caught one of those unicorn-rare 80 degree days that turns Cannon Beach from its usual sweater-weather haven into a balmy, blue-sky wonder. Only in Oregon would wearing shorts at the beach be considered a special treat." — Kelly Clarke, Senior Editor

"Taking the small ones on a tour of park water features, the highlight being Jameson Square with its cascades of water, intense pistol action, and cacophonous squeals. And running through the Peninsula park rose garden, and using it as an excuse to stop and, y’know, smell the roses." —Fiona McCann, Arts Editor

"Going berry-picking with pals on our way back from a scorching Sauvie Island beach excursion. We made it just in time to catch the last of the most perfect strawberries I’ve ever tasted—they were so tiny and so so sweet, like magical candy coming out of the ground. I ended up eating an entire pint while waiting for my friends to fill their containers. (Sorry, Kruger!)" —Molly Woodstock, contributing editor

"Biking down NE Broadway on a hot, hot June afternoon, and then turning, so gratefully, into the cool, shady oasis of Holladay Park. Sweet bluegrass music, calmly milling gentlefolk (not too many), and tent after tent of some of the best beers on the planet. The Portland International Beerfest was a quintessential summer moment for me: picnic basket, friends, good conversation, and the dappled light of a fine Friday gloaming turning my rotating tasters into glasses of gold."—Ramona DeNies, Assistant Editor

"We took a hooky day from work and hit the Tillamook Forest to set up a tent with both an air mattress and a zillion blankets for comfy sleeping. After that the fella and I sipped whiskey from our flasks in front of the campfire, watched the stars, and I sang him nearly ever 1980’s television theme song for 'entertainment.'" —Eden Dawn, Style Editor

"I woke up before 7 on a Saturday morning in June to go stand in line to sign up for the parks department's annual free week of swim lessons. It's one of the few things you can't sign up for online but have to do in person. I brought doughnuts. I brought the paper. I ran into friends among the other parents in the know. I watched Columbia Park wake up. That's the official beginning of my summer. My kids still don't know how to swim." —Margaret Seilor, Copyeditor

"A balmy Friday night dinner made up of small plates from a bunch of different food carts in SE Division's Tidbit pod hit me with a realization—there was more good food in that former parking lot than in the whole of most American cities. Every perfect tater tot and bite of ripe tomato was a celebration of the privilege of living amidst such incredible bounty." —Allison Jones, Digital & Health Editor

"I went camping in the Opal Creek Wilderness—a magical place to begin with—and woke up with the sun to beat the crowds at Three Pools and take an early-morning plunge. Jumping into that crazy-green pool as the sun came up, with hardly a soul in sight, and then drying off on the rocks with no place in the world I had to be…THAT was summer." —Rachel Ritchie, Executive Editor