At least for those who spent last week digging their toes in the sand.

For countless Triangle workers, these are the summer doldrums. They looked forward for weeks to their July Fourth getaways, imagining themselves swimming with the fish or soaking up the sun.

But vacation is over. And about the only things left to look forward to are memos, meetings and conference calls.

"You have to get back to reality sometime," Keith Moore Jr., 15, said at Raleigh Durham International Airport on Sunday.

He and his parents had just returned from a Caribbean cruise. For seven days, the Garner family, who booked the trip in January, visited destinations such as Cozumel and Belize. They laughed with new friends and relaxed as the ship's staff took care of every need.

What's on tap for the rest of the summer?

Going "back to work," said Keith's mother, Paulette Moore.

The back end of the season is also a time to catch up on housework. With vacations over, some will paint, clean windows or plant shrubs.

Julie Miller, 43, was busy at Fairview Garden Center near Cary on Sunday picking out new plants. She visited the beach for four days around July Fourth. She expects to spend the rest of her summer "messing in the yard."

"That way, you don't have to spend money on gas," she said.

That's not to say everybody has given up on a getaway.

"For me, it's always been the end of summer that we go," said April Russell, 32, of Garner. "It gets so hot in August that you want to go and [lie] in the water."

And if the heat gets too hot at work, remember you'll have another chance to escape.

Labor Day is just 56 days away.