Got that summer's over feeling? Grieve it.

Do the waning of days and the coming of autumn make you come over elegiac? It probably depends on the length and sunniness of the summer. If it was brief and wet, that first nip in the air leaves you feeling cheated. But if the summer was long and glorious, the coming of autumn feels reasonable and seasonable. There’s a sense of relief, even.

Just how we feel about human lives, the short and the long, the happy and the sad.

Over in Bethany Beach, Delaware, they have a funeral on Labor Day to mark the end of summer—a jazz funeral. The expired summer, represented by a mannequin in a casket, is carried in procession to the town’s bandstand for a concert. Says the event’s founder, Paul Jankovic, "The most important thing is you're guaranteed to have a wonderful time. Instead of standing on the sidelines watching a parade, (those in attendance) fall in behind us as we walk down the boardwalk, just like the jazz funerals they have in New Orleans."

Read the full story here.

At the top of the page, the Piccolo Funeral Band, agreeably lunatic street performers from Germany (where else?)

And below the good people of Bethany Beach mourn the death of summer 2009