Summer’s Swan Song : Labor Day weekend: Sunday’s weather and activities perfectly fit the mood of a leisurely holiday break.

Sunday was the quintessential day to kick back in Ventura County as Labor Day weekend weather remained near-perfect for those who chose to spend a day at the beach, a crafts fair or a traditional political hoedown.

It was also the Day of the Dolphin. Two beautiful creatures could be seen frolicking in the ocean about 200 yards north of Emma Wood State Beach, arcing above the surface under a glistening sun.

“I was startled,” said surfer Ralph Pistone, 41, of Thousand Oaks. “I had two dolphins come in under my board while I was sitting on it. They’re huge, massive. They were just playing.”

Dolphins and beach-goers alike enjoyed a water temperature of 66 degrees along the Ventura County coastline. And more of the same balmy weather is in the forecast for today and well into the workweek.

Mostly clear skies are forecast, except for some morning low clouds along the coast, according to WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times. Highs will range from the lower to middle 70s along the coast and to the 80s inland. Lows will range from the lower 50s to the lower 60s.

“The weather is close to normal near the coast, but a little above normal inland,” said meteorologist Steve Burback. “It’ll be dry and mostly sunny through Friday.”

The California Highway Patrol reported no major traffic jams in Ventura County on Sunday. But if road traffic was relatively normal, water traffic wasn’t.

“It’s quite extreme,” said James Hrabak, a patrol officer with the Channel Islands harbor police.

For example, he said, about 245 boats went in and out of the harbor between 4 and 5 p.m. Sunday, compared to 90 boats during the same time the previous Sunday.

It was also a busy day for Mike Lehman, 29, who was serving up sizzling sausages at First Sunday in the Park, the monthly arts-and-crafts event in Plaza Park in downtown Ventura.

But the customers weren’t too intimidating. “I do this part time; it’s fun,” he said.

Nearby, three San Fernando Valley residents were kicking back on swings. “We always come up here,” said June McClure, who drove to Ventura with her daughter Sherri and grandson Tom Malloy. “This is our rest.”

It was recreation for other crafts fair visitors--among them several children designing colorful bookmarks. “We’re making bookmarks to encourage kids to read,” said Timberly Dunn of Ventura, an arts teacher with the city’s parks and recreation agency.

“I could take it to school,” offered a shy 8-year-old who said that her first name was Kara and that she went to school in Oxnard.

Vendor Margie Zeigler of Lompoc said the Labor Day weekend was “OK,” but that her favorite holidays are Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her ceramic beer steins, painted in colorful oils with pictures of animals and Western scenes, were on sale at one of the many booths.

But the lingering recession has cut into her business, she said: “This year has been the worst; there’s no money, just no money.”

It didn’t take much cash to enjoy the rugged coastline along the Old Rincon Highway north of Ventura for a Canoga Park couple.

Larry Lyons and Gina Fisher could be found Sunday playing backgammon on a patch of sand next to their camper.

Lyons, a contractor, said a day at the beach in Ventura County could not be compared with what passes for a day at the beach in most of Los Angeles County.

“It’s polluted half the time, it’s smoggy and the traffic’s awful,” Lyons said.

“That’s the truth,” Fisher said. “Here, there’s no traffic, no hassle. We just chill out.”

L. A.’s beaches? “That’s a joke,” laughed Cheryl Gillette, 45, and Susan Miller, 40, both of Los Angeles.

Miller, wearing a necklace of crystals, said the northern beaches are “a metaphysical place to come and meditate. And you don’t have to worry about someone ripping you off or stealing your car.”

Or their license plate frame, which read “My other car is a broom.”

But not everyone was enthralled with the weather.

Blue, a 10-year-old gray husky, barely made it to the shade under a camper Sunday, where he plopped down after a walk in the sun. His owner, Dave Sterkin of the San Fernando Valley, looked on sympathetically.

“I think he needs a drink,” he said.

Labor Day weekend also is the traditional kickoff time for political campaigns. Several Democratic Party locals showed up for a barbecue and square dance sponsored by organized labor at Oxnard’s College Park.

Listening to the political speeches and watching the hoedown was pipe fitter Craig Fosdich of Ojai, who said he hadn’t square-danced in years.

“When I used to drink a little I danced a lot,” said the 6-foot, 5-inch, 290-pounder. “Now, I don’t drink anymore and I don’t dance anymore.”

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