The weather this past weekend was magnificent.

It was that perfect blend of sunny but not too warm, bright enough for a tan but not so hot that you’re sweating in the shade.

Just right.

September is a great month, one of the best on Whidbey Island. We have great days, such as this past weekend, but also pleasant variety.

Monday and Tuesday morning were dripping in heavy, impenetrable fog and temperatures dipped into the high 40s. That’s a long way down the thermometer from the summer utopia of Saturday and Sunday but just as enjoyable in different ways.

It’s difficult to imagine a more beautiful drive, though they probably exist, than down Highway 525 when Whidbey is shrouded under a blanket of mist.

The fog is thicker than clam chowder in some areas, of course, but it’s those unimaginable scenes of fields and barns floating in a sea of white that strike awe.

It’s a great way to get ready for a day at work: coffee, the daily ration of National Public Radio and scenery that makes one wonder why they ever lived anywhere else

— even for a guy who grew up in Hawaii.

If that’s not enough variety, forecasters have been excitedly predicting all week that temperatures today will hit 90 degrees.

That’s beach weather; warm enough to brave the frigid waters of Puget Sound. And they are shockingly cold, no matter what time of year it is or how Northwest hardcore you consider yourself.

Most will be chained to their desks Wednesday, but rays like that have a tendency for thoughts to wander beyond the daily grind.

It will be interesting to see if a sudden and inexplicable “bug” hits South Whidbey. Whew, it was a bad one, someone may say. Just look for the sunburn.

Yep, September is a gift from the heavens. One day you’re blasted with blistering heat, another refreshed with a cooling reprieve, and on other rarer days, blessed with that perfect mix of sunshine and mild temperatures.

It would be nice if it lasted but that’s not the way of life on Whidbey Island, and thankfully so.

Indeed, if Washington weather was like it is in September 12 months of the year, the state, especially places like Island County, would be a Northwestern Southern California.

Yes, the waves are OK in Venice Beach and the water is warm enough to surf in a spring suit, but the crowds and urban sprawl are too steep a tab.

Our bliss is seasonal and all too short, but it’s worth it.