Is summer really over? The calendar doesn’t say so, but the kids are back in band camp, and that’s the official harbinger of the school year.

We still have back to school shopping, a day trip here or there, and a pile of chores that would be nice to finish up before everyone is back on a regular schedule, but as far as summers go, this wasn’t the worst one.

It was a different summer, though, and I suspect, the first of what will become our new normal. A was home for a short stay, and then ended up spending most of the workweek in Harrisburg at his internship with one of the government offices. Luckily, a family member graciously offered him a room to use during the week, so every Sunday night, he packed his things and headed out for the week.

It was a great chance for him to reconnect with some distant family, and also helped to foster the independence that he’s been working on since he left for school.

On the weekends, he kept up with his lifeguarding job, so he had a full plate. He also spent a good amount of time reconnecting with old friends and traveled to meet up with new ones. However, I can already sense an eagerness in him to head back to school, a new semester of classes and activities, and the excitement of city life.

For him, this was a summer balanced between the last vestiges of childhood and the independence and responsibilities of adulthood.

G on the other hand, sought a different kind of balance. Since we both know that senior year is going to be a lot of work, he spent a lot of time doing the things he loves. He and some friends worked independently, doing landscaping work for friends and neighbors. They made a nice little chunk of change while their easy camaraderie and work ethic made the tasks at hand almost enjoyable.

G also spent some of his earnings on a rack for his pickup truck that enabled him to easily load and unload the canoe for quick fishing trips, and of course, he kept his regular summer job, working for a whitewater rafting company. And, of course, he tended his garden and kept up with the chickens and ducks.

I think G is going to be one of those people who loves what he does and never works a day his whole life.

Regardless of which activity he pursued, his days ended with stories about people he met, projects he completed, or sometimes, he was almost too tired to eat dinner and crawl into bed. For him, summer was about satisfaction and a job well done.

And finally, E. This was a unique summer for her. The combination of only being 14 and also committing to her swim training made finding regular employment a little difficult for her. However, she landed a few babysitting jobs, and also started teaching swim lessons. She is eager for next summer when she will be old enough to lifeguard, and hopefully expand her teaching opportunities.

Committing to swimming also meant that Monday through Friday she had to be up at the crack of dawn to head to practice, and three days a week, she had a double practice. That was a lot, but she made it out of bed with little to no complaining all summer long.

Many of E’s friends also started to get their licenses. I was surprised when E asked me if she could join a gym and go work out regularly with her friends. Although some of these trips also may have involved a stop at Rita’s or for some other treat, having a friend group that works out together turned out to be a really positive experience for her.

For E, this summer was about that first taste of independence and pushing herself beyond her limits.

And, what about me? Well, I think this summer was about letting things go.

While we still did a lot of things together as a family, at least a few nights a week, I found myself home alone, while the kids were off doing their thing. I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to it, especially since I know how much Steve and I were looking forward to spending this time together, but I’ve used the time to get back into reading. I read about 10 books this summer, which is the most I’ve read in a long time.

It’s also given me the chance to finish sorting through boxes that I’ve put aside for a while, until I was ready to deal with them. A few corners of the house are a little less cluttered, a few more projects are ready to be launched this fall. All things considered, not a bad summer at all.

Liz Pinkey’s column appears on Saturdays in the Times News