Will B.

With summer here, I usually write about all the great things about summer and what I love most about summer. I decided to change it up just a bit and reminisce about my first few summers. Most memories get a little foggy and many times take on a more artistic recollection than a factual base, at least for me.

Let’s see, the first memories of summer … My first memory of summer was riding on the lap of my dad or papa as he was mowing the lawn. As we plunged at breakneck speed through tall grass, I held on to that great big wheel for dear life to not fall off and be eaten by the monster on wheels. It was thrilling and such an honor to be able to drive that machine through the grass, or at least as far as I knew, I was driving the monster grass eater all by myself. It was a large area with towering trees further than I could see with lots of shaded areas and there were picnic tables and tents. I seemed to remember camping out back of the house a lot in the summer. As any boy of the ‘70s, I wanted to be outside having adventures as much as possible.

That memory included the warm sun bearing down on the back of my neck. I eagerly waited for the next gentle breeze to blow off the lake as we fished for our supper that day. The lazy boredom of waiting for the line to wiggle ever so softly – then gave way to a strong jerk. My heart exploded with excitement as I wrestled with the fishing pole, thinking, ‘Oh please, let this be the big one of the day for bragging rights!’

Later in the evening sitting around the campfire I recall ankles itching like crazy with what felt like a thousand chigger bites. I vaguely remember rumblings from Mom suggesting shoes and socks - pfft! Not for us! Bare feet were a strict requirement for us kids during summer break. Yes, we paid for it but I would be danged if I would let my mom know she was right! Ha! It was ghost stories by the old man doing his best to keep us up shivering in the tent at every snap of a twig and rustle of the leaves, and Hershey’s chocolate bars with roasted marshmallows in between two graham crackers – that was what we sought most those long summer nights around the campfire.

Camping was ingrained in my brothers and me at a very young age and those memories of those long-ago summers are one of the main reasons I love summer so much. What are some of your earliest memories and are they the reasons behind your favorite season? This is Will B saying, it’s time to kick off the shoes, set up the tent, and get to the crick to catch my supper.