Hello Summer

                                           How Gig Harbor looks most of the summer

This last weekend the temperatures hitting records for June felt a bit different that is for sure. Usually we feel that summer doesn’t go into effect until July 5^th however this year it went into the upper 90s. Now this week the temperatures are in the mid-70s which makes me feel better about it.

I have always enjoyed summer especially as a kid because I was able to be out of school and do different activities. Most people around here like the fact we will have sun for a while. This year the winter and spring we had so much rain when we did see the sun it was for a few hours maybe a couple days a week. Even when it isn’t raining the days are cloudy.

I like that we have four seasons here in the Pacific Northwest. I know that places like Southern California and Arizona the seasons don’t change much. The only difference is that the summer it is really hot in those places.  Although we do get a lot of rain especially in the winter we appreciate the sun when it comes out.

I won’t be surprised if we get a little rain before the end of June however the sun will be around in July, August and a lot of September.

I am thinking the change of seasons gives us hope when they come around. Life is a bit different when the next season comes along.

The beginning of fall isn’t much different than the summer other than the temperatures are lower. We have some rain however the sun is still out a lot and the trees change their colors. The last month or so of fall is when the rain comes on a regular basis and before the temperatures start to go lower. The winter doesn’t feel the same now as I remember as a kid. We didn’t have a lot of snow then however now we see little of it during the winter. Besides the rain we have a lot of wind storms beginning in November.  Often February the temperatures get warmer and we see some of the sun before heading into spring. This year we had record rainfall in the spring. We had about ten inches more rain than we are used too. It rained really hard for a few weeks. This is unusual because though we have some rain it usually very light during the spring. It was nice to see the beauty of the trees once again. Fall and spring feel almost the same.

Yesterday I saw three boys with their mother at the coffee shop. I asked them if they played baseball or soccer. They said no that they were more into football. I then asked them whether they were going to camp during the summer. They said that they were having Bible Camp real soon.  I told them when I was around their age I went to Camp Seymour. One of the brothers had been at Camp Seymour. I told him that the last time that I was there which was only five years ago I believe that Camp Seymour had not changed much since I was their age. I told the brothers I had enjoyed my time at Camp Seymour. I met other boys from Tacoma. Not many kids in Gig Harbor went to Camp Seymour probably because it is so close. It is less than 30 minutes from Gig Harbor.  Those who live in Tacoma the camp feels different than their living most of the year while for us in Gig Harbor it is so much of the same.  I liked going to Camp anyway though the feeling wasn’t much different at least I was away from home for a couple weeks.

When I was in high school I did go to summer school for a couple years. Although it was school it didn’t feel the same as when I was in school the rest of the year. I guess because less students and I took classes that I wanted to instead of what I didn’t want to take.  Also I would work some for my dad so I save some money. This was especially true when I turned sixteen years old so I have some cash to do things and get gas. I started driving a car that was once my mother’s than passed down to my sister and older brother.  It was interesting to work around adults and feel responsible too. Before my senior year of high school I worked for my dad most of the summer though I did take a few days off to relax and do some activities.

I am thinking to about the nearby neighborhoods around Gig Harbor. I will get into them in some posts coming up. Whatever you are doing for the summer enjoy the other seasons as well.