It is almost the middle of August and we have finally found real summer temperatures. I can't really say that I'm pleased. I like being warm, but detest being hot. I would choose cold over hot any day. In the winter you can put on a sweater and curl up under a blanket. In the summer, you just can't get cool enough. As kids we used to beg our parents for a pool. We didn't get one. We lived near Lake Michigan and often in the summer our parents would take us all to the beach. We very rarely went in the middle of the day, usually the trip was after dinner. We loaded up the van, and would compete to see who saw the lake first as we came over the top of the last sand dune. I don't know how my mother coped with 7 or 8 kids at a beach, but she seemed relaxed. Later she did admit that she was constantly counting heads! We would stay for an hour or so, then load back up and head home. We had to stand by the garden hose and get the sand washed off before we could go inside, that was a cold surprise. By that time, we were worn out and off to bed. Good planning by my parents!
There was also a swimming pool a few miles away at a Boy Scout camp. We would ride our bikes or get dropped off by a parent and spend the afternoon there. I could not have been very old, since the camp closed when I was 8 or 9, but I remember quite a bit about it. We used to have "tea parties" underwater and try to talk to one another. We would invent silly ways to jump into the water. I know I couldn't really swim, but I wasn't afraid of the water or of getting my face wet. I can't believe the freedom we had as kids to roam the countryside.
Now, when summer comes the beach just seems too hot and sandy, pools are fun for a bit, but then I get bored. I'd rather be curled up on the couch, with the snow falling, a warm blanket and glass of wine, and a good book. I guess I won't be retiring to Florida!
No comments:
Post a Comment