“When you finally go back to your old hometown, you find it wasn't the old home you missed but your childhood.” (Sam Ewing)
Hello, my lovely friends!
Get ready for a trip down memory lane! I've been thinking about all the awesome things I got up to as a kid during those long, sun-drenched summer days.
1. School officially wrapped up the first week of June, kicking off a summer that stretched all the way to the last week of August. We always headed back to class that final week, and there was always an extra buzz knowing we'd get a well-deserved Labor Day day off the following week! It was the perfect way to ease into the new school year.
2. Some of my favorite childhood memories involve escaping the summer heat, all thanks to a kitchen table my dad rescued from the university. He brought it home and set it up in our finished basement, transforming it into our cool-down dining oasis. On those sweltering days, there was nothing better than heading downstairs for dinner. As a kid, it felt like a special treat, a mini-adventure to eat in a different, wonderfully chilled space. Sure, getting everything up and down the stairs was a bit of a workout, but with four of us pitching in, we made it work – and the delicious, cool meal was always worth it!
3. Summer days meant one thing: the community pool! My mom would sign us up for the free morning swimming classes, and then it was a perfect routine. We'd zip across the street to my elementary school for a free afternoon lunch, and then it was back to the pool for hours of splashing. Most days, we'd walk the mile home, sun-kissed and exhausted, though sometimes Dad would play chauffeur after work. This was our daily ritual, Monday through Friday. And on weekends? Even more pool time with family during the evening swims!
4. Our family's semi-annual ritual involved collecting cans, cashing them in, and then — boom! — turning that cash into summer fireworks. Forget the big rockets; I lived for the variety packs. Sparklers, Black Cats, and best of all, those ingenious little joke firecrackers shaped like cigarettes. My dad was a smoker, which meant endless opportunities for me to play a little prank. I'd slip one in, wait for him to light up, and then brace myself for the surprise explosion. One unforgettable night, he was deep into a horror movie when it went off. The look on his face? Absolutely priceless.
5. When summer arrived, our house became little more than a pit stop. We were practically glued to the outdoors, spending every sun-drenched hour playing, tearing up the pavement on our bikes, or splashing around at the pool. As evening approached, our adventures shifted to the block. Our street was a magnet for kids, and we'd launch into epic games of kickball, stealthy rounds of hide-and-seek, or frantic freeze tag. There was never any worry about neighbors complaining about our joyful chaos; in fact, most of them would pull up a chair in a driveway, chat, and enjoy the evening right along with us.
