Spin Cycle--Ahhh, Summer

The topic of this week's Spin Cycle is Summer.  Gretchen asks: What does Summer mean to you? Summer school? Summer Solstice? Summer lovin'? Summer squash?
Now, to really think about what summer means to me. Last week there was a question on the WWTK post I wrote about what summer looks like and sounds like at my house.
Summer looks like curtains closed to keep the heat from the sun out during the day, wide open at night.  Twilight lasts forever here and things cool down so nicely, that's when we hang out outside, water the gardens and grass. Let little boys run around with squirt guns.  Dim interiors to keep the house cool, late afternoon slanting sunshine until 8 pm. Twilight until close to 9pm.  Shorts, tank tops, squirt guns, grilling, flip flops, bare feet, it all says summer.

Shouts and yells, laughter and giggles. Spraying water, skipping/running feet.  It's all summer sounds and feelings. The smell of left over sunscreen, bug spray, dinner on the grill.  Summer.
Summer is when we get a bit lax about the schedule, bedtimes happen around dark.  I don't get too many protests over going to sleep when the sun is still up.  This is nice as the sun doesn't set here until 8:30pm most nights.  At least until August.  Meals happen too--but the planning of said meals gets a bit looser. It's way easy to use the grill--the house doesn't heat up and Nick loves cooking on it. And bonus, less dishes!
We go camping in the summer.  We also head to the hills for our bumbling drives down dirt roads. Finding a dirt road that is new to us makes for a great day.

Our mobile cabin in the mountains.  The view is fantastic and changes when we want it too.

 Summer has many things attached to it, but for me it's a lingering sense of freedom.  I think it is a left over from school all those years--summer was free time.  Time to get lost in books, hang out with no demands and no tests.  Then summer jobs, but since mine was as a lifeguard it was fun and sun and no early mornings. This sense of freedom hangs around still--since we have kids, their glee at being free for the summer sort of transfers to us.
Oh, and as to the questions Gretchen poses about summer, we avoided summer school this year--Yay Turbo! Nick's birthday is the summer solstice, so we celebrate. Nick and I have the summer lovin' taken care of ;) and I like summer squash, but the kids look at it with suspicion when it's presented to them.
Go see Gretchen for more summer spins, and maybe spin up your own take on summer.