Summer

[DoctorShavegood]

Summer

To me it is the smell of fresh cut grass. Fire flies. A swim in the pool or down at the local river or creek. Grilling on the pit is a must. Setting up my flags. Talking with the neighbors. Sitting in my cheap little lawnchair drinking a beer. Not worrying about tomorrow. Summer summer. I think there’s a lot of songs about summer.

….Tell us about your summer story.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

Planting flowers and weeding the beds. Mowing the grass, watering the flowers and lawn. Making day trips to interesting places to practice photography. Not having to worry about a coat, sweater or jacket, but instead slathering on SPF50 to keep the skin fair. Grilling on the Weber and enjoying fresh grilled meat and vegetables (although that’s not happening this year). Sitting on the patio, listening to the birds and enjoying a cool breeze. Glass of iced decaf tea.

That’s summer to me. A little sweating and a lot of enjoyment of the fruits of my labor.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Planting flowers and weeding the beds. Mowing the grass, watering the flowers and lawn. Making day trips to interesting places to practice photography. Not having to worry about a coat, sweater or jacket, but instead slathering on SPF50 to keep the skin fair. Grilling on the Weber and enjoying fresh grilled meat and vegetables (although that’s not happening this year). Sitting on the patio, listening to the birds and enjoying a cool breeze. Glass of iced decaf tea.

That’s summer to me. A little sweating and a lot of enjoyment of the fruits of my labor.

Well said.

 

[Ad Astra]

The June 21 sunset and sunrise are meaningful to me. I measure them every year as a true measure of the passage of time, an analemma.

Analemma - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I can glance at any sunset photo taken here and name the month (though Feb and Nov are the same!)

Truly I don't like summer, too hot. Explosive garden growth is rewarding, but as fall approaches, the risk of hurricane increases. The fear, damage, and financial setback has been real several times - too many. Anyways.

I do have a dozen Datil pepper bushes, likely the only ones in this county. Dared kids yesterday to eat one - I went first - and the results were a howl!

Passionflower vine going crazy...

We have a family of foxes living nearby this summer (not my pic) and that reminds us to appreciate nature. A bear walked right through my peppers, too. But ate none and did no harm.

Still. Living for that first cold front in September... May it sweep away the heat, humidity, and keep away the evil Mayan god, Hurakan.


AA

 

[DEPenguin]

I was born in Phoenix. As a kid I remember playing outside, shoeless, on many summer days. We didn't care about the hot sidewalk or driveway, nor about the heat. Being outside on the swings or in the sandbox was the place to be, maybe in the front yard running in the grass barefoot and climbing a tree. If anyone sees me doing that now they can surely take me directly to the loony bin.

The scent of grass for me is reminiscent of playing in the park across the street or playing baseball late on a summer evening. When a pool was available you spent lots of time in it, and if you were careless enough you spent a couple nights very restless with a searing sunburn.

Summer here (at least in the city) isn't picturesque, not like some of the scenery others have posted from their environs. It's a sweltering mass of baking humanity and long stretches of indoor respite. I'm not a fan of summer, at least not here.

 

[FarmerTan]

I was walking my friend's dogs we are watching during a lull in the torrential rain we've been having the other evening. I looked up, and I was surprised to see fireflies all around my periphery, 360°..... It was truly magical. I think it was a gift from the Giver of Life, to let me know He's still holding my hand.

But I only like summer because if winter.

I'm certain that Heaven is sweater weather.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

After this winter apocalypse that we had here in Central Texas I’m ready for a hot summer. I’m Not scared of hot bring it on.

 

[FarmerTan]

After this winter apocalypse that we had here in Central Texas I’m ready for a hot summer. I’m Not scared of hot bring it on.

Oh my! Be careful what you ask for friend!

But you folks truly were hit so hard this past winter. Hopefully the powers that be will learn from it. Though I heard on the radio today that the solar and wind power industry is buying electricity from coal and natural gas producers of electricity! They can't keep up with demand!

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

I was born in Phoenix. As a kid I remember playing outside, shoeless, on many summer days. We didn't care about the hot sidewalk or driveway, nor about the heat. Being outside on the swings or in the sandbox was the place to be, maybe in the front yard running in the grass barefoot and climbing a tree. If anyone sees me doing that now they can surely take me directly to the loony bin.

The scent of grass for me is reminiscent of playing in the park across the street or playing baseball late on a summer evening. When a pool was available you spent lots of time in it, and if you were careless enough you spent a couple nights very restless with a searing sunburn.

Summer here (at least in the city) isn't picturesque, not like some of the scenery others have posted from their environs. It's a sweltering mass of baking humanity and long stretches of indoor respite. I'm not a fan of summer, at least not here.

I recall Phoenix, 1957. My grandmother moved to Phoenix because my aunt had bad asthma. The dry Phoenix climate was supposed to be good for it. We went to visit and there wasn’t any grass in sight. Sand, rocks and cactus. We played in dust devils. I thought it was cool that grandma had a swamp cooler big enough to walk into. We went back in 1965 and she had moved to a house at the foot of Sunnyslope. She still had the huge swamp cooler, but now there was grass and palm trees.

What a difference.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

I recall Phoenix, 1957. My grandmother moved to Phoenix because my aunt had bad asthma. The dry Phoenix climate was supposed to be good for it. We went to visit and there wasn’t any grass in sight. Sand, rocks and cactus. We played in dust devils. I thought it was cool that grandma had a swamp cooler big enough to walk into. We went back in 1965 and she had moved to a house at the foot of Sunnyslope. She still had the huge swamp cooler, but now there was grass and palm trees.

What a difference.

Those swamp coolers were a lifesaver.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Fireworks are coming up. What a great summer time. Get a lawn chair, grill a few steaks, Put up a slip and slide for the kids. Take it easy enjoy your life.

 

[GNR]

The big summer time event for us is the 4th of July celebration.
My wife and I host a BBQ/pot luck party: pulled pork, BBQ chicken, grilled Italian Sausages, Brats, and hotdogs, then everyone brings side dishes.

We rent a dunk tank and the kids take turns dunking each other all day.
The last two people in the dunk tank are me and another Dad: we coached all of the kids in numerous sports. They line up and heckle us and dunk us mercilessly…it is fantastic.

We finish with a fireworks display that my two neighbors put on.

We obviously didn’t have our celebration last year, so we are looking forward to this one.

 

[Whisky]

This will take a while.

As a kid summer meant freedom. Cicadas buzzing during the day and crickets chirping at night. Mesquite thorns in bike tires. Fajitas and steaks on the grill with neighborhood friends. Any water we could find be it pools, rivers, sprinklers, or even just sitting in onion creek to get our clothes wet. Camping, Big Bend, Enchanted rock, The Davis Mtns, trips to Colorado and NM to hike. The attic fan rumbling in the morning to suck the cool early morning air into the house to give the A/C a head start on the Texas heat. Staying out until the sun went down and watching fireflys in the yards and June bugs fly around the street lights while we sat on skate boards and talked about girls and growing up. Fresh cut grass on Sunday, one of my favorite scents ever. The smell of a summer thunderstorm when it pushes dust ahead of it then settles the dust when it rains. The world always seemed somehow more alive after those storms. Catching Horny Toads and turtles.

In my middle teens it meant archeological digs all over Texas. Trying to find someone to buy us beer so we could get drunk off of 2 keystone lights. Driving my truck just to drive. “Serious” girlfriends. Camping without the parents which meant more beer and occasionally other substances. Toward the end of summer it meant two-a-days for football. Working my first summer jobs framing houses and getting so tanned I could have been a coppertone model.
Willie Nelson’s 4th of July picnic with the family and fireworks.

Starting in my 20s I was working on an ambulance so summer meant violence. I don’t know what it is about Texas heat but it makes people want to hurt each other. My 20’s also meant floating the Guadalupe River in tubes and drinking more beer. More of Willie’s 4th of July Picnics. Smoking Brisket and playing horseshoes all night long. More Beer. Making friends with people that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Bar fights (just a few) and meeting the woman who would eventually become my wife. She told me she just wanted to be friends the first time I asked her out. Did I mention beer? Bonfires.

Now days summer means a mix of relaxation and work around the house. I grill and have a few beers on the weekend. Outdoor projects around the house take up time but I still have enough “me” time to get lost in the woods occasionally. My kids are pretty young so lots of time playing with them and taking them to water parks and playgrounds. More camping, more bonfires. The best part of summer now though is having family and friends over and just sitting off to the side occasionally and watching everyone make memories that they will cherish for the rest of their lives.

sorry if I rambled on too much. Summer is definitely my favorite season. Lots and lots of good memories.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Oh my! Be careful what you ask for friend!

But you folks truly were hit so hard this past winter. Hopefully the powers that be will learn from it. Though I heard on the radio today that the solar and wind power industry is buying electricity from coal and natural gas producers of electricity! They can't keep up with demand!

That’s why I bought a generator.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

This will take a while.

As a kid summer meant freedom. Cicadas buzzing during the day and crickets chirping at night. Mesquite thorns in bike tires. Fajitas and steaks on the grill with neighborhood friends. Any water we could find be it pools, rivers, sprinklers, or even just sitting in onion creek to get our clothes wet. Camping, Big Bend, Enchanted rock, The Davis Mtns, trips to Colorado and NM to hike. The attic fan rumbling in the morning to suck the cool early morning air into the house to give the A/C a head start on the Texas heat. Staying out until the sun went down and watching fireflys in the yards and June bugs fly around the street lights while we sat on skate boards and talked about girls and growing up. Fresh cut grass on Sunday, one of my favorite scents ever. The smell of a summer thunderstorm when it pushes dust ahead of it then settles the dust when it rains. The world always seemed somehow more alive after those storms. Catching Horny Toads and turtles.

In my middle teens it meant archeological digs all over Texas. Trying to find someone to buy us beer so we could get drunk off of 2 keystone lights. Driving my truck just to drive. “Serious” girlfriends. Camping without the parents which meant more beer and occasionally other substances. Toward the end of summer it meant two-a-days for football. Working my first summer jobs framing houses and getting so tanned I could have been a coppertone model.
Willie Nelson’s 4th of July picnic with the family and fireworks.

Starting in my 20s I was working on an ambulance so summer meant violence. I don’t know what it is about Texas heat but it makes people want to hurt each other. My 20’s also meant floating the Guadalupe River in tubes and drinking more beer. More of Willie’s 4th of July Picnics. Smoking Brisket and playing horseshoes all night long. More Beer. Making friends with people that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Bar fights (just a few) and meeting the woman who would eventually become my wife. She told me she just wanted to be friends the first time I asked her out. Did I mention beer? Bonfires.

Now days summer means a mix of relaxation and work around the house. I grill and have a few beers on the weekend. Outdoor projects around the house take up time but I still have enough “me” time to get lost in the woods occasionally. My kids are pretty young so lots of time playing with them and taking them to water parks and playgrounds. More camping, more bonfires. The best part of summer now though is having family and friends over and just sitting off to the side occasionally and watching everyone make memories that they will cherish for the rest of their lives.

sorry if I rambled on too much. Summer is definitely my favorite season. Lots and lots of good memories.

It sounds like a lot of what I did. In my high school years we lived in New Braunfels. So we floated the Comal River quite a bit.

 

[Whisky]

It sounds like a lot of what I did. In my high school years we lived in New Braunfels. So we floated the Comal River quite a bit.

I was just north of you in Austin. SanMarcos and New Braunfels were always fun destinations. Schlitterbahn was THE place in the late 80’s early 90’s we even took field trips there during Jr High. I always loved that area but the last time I traveled down 35 that direction Urban Sprawl had transformed. That was 10yrs ago, I’m sure it’s much worse now. Heck I remember when Austin ended at Slaughter Ln and Buda was Gas station off the interstate. Man, now I just feel old.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

I was just north of you in Austin. SanMarcos and New Braunfels were always fun destinations. Schlitterbahn was THE place in the late 80’s early 90’s we even took field trips there during Jr High. I always loved that area but the last time I traveled down 35 that direction Urban Sprawl had transformed. That was 10yrs ago, I’m sure it’s much worse now. Heck I remember when Austin ended at Slaughter Ln and Buda was Gas station off the interstate. Man, now I just feel old.

I was down in new Braunfels a couple months ago and it was nasty. All the Yankees and the Californians are moving in. But I digress. Finally things here in my world are returning to normal after my wife and my father died. I just wanna get out in the backyard grill a few things maybe even drink beer or two And kill a few flies with my Bug-A-Salt.

 

[FarmerTan]

The big summer time event for us is the 4th of July celebration.
My wife and I host a BBQ/pot luck party: pulled pork, BBQ chicken, grilled Italian Sausages, Brats, and hotdogs, then everyone brings side dishes.

We rent a dunk tank and the kids take turns dunking each other all day.
The last two people in the dunk tank are me and another Dad: we coached all of the kids in numerous sports. They line up and heckle us and dunk us mercilessly…it is fantastic.

We finish with a fireworks display that my two neighbors put on.

We obviously didn’t have our celebration last year, so we are looking forward to this one.

We have done something similar to this for over 25 years. Obviously no one wanted to come, so we didn't have one last year, and this year we are skipping it because life got in the way, (or death?) sadly.

Next year it'll be back in force. We buy the meat, the lovely War Department and I. Everyone brings a dish to pass.... 96 souls came on our best year!

We play wiffle ball, fireworks, bonfire.... We even had it a few days after I got out of the hospital from open heart surgery, and I batted one handed! My son was 6, so we couldn't cancel it, it was the highlight of his summer traditions!