"In the good ole summertime".

The firecracker haze of smoke has finally dissipated from a slight breeze gratefully  blowing through the air.  Thank goodness for any air at all,  also that I'm not in an area were there's an  "ayou", or an "ina" after the name of the town or state.   July 4th, has been exceptionally sparkly, noisy, and filling.   Dog days are here again and I'm actually enjoying them because at least it gives a reason to sweating like a pig while maintaining a healthy glow.

I'm sure you've read  Yankee Magazine  with it's  amazing  watercolor seascapes; the front covers of  lobster crates to  cookouts on the beach.  Chowder and blueberry pies, fishing boats, and flowers.
 
No matter where you live summer means something in any form,  any time and any smell or sight can take you there.
When I was a kid it was the community pool , **Riverside Park to be more accurate.  It's still there  with its band shell and summer concerts and swings and slides for the kiddies young and old alike.    Long gone and only a memory are the rides, cotton candy & taffy booths, and a  once glorious concession stand.    I miss the yesteryear for those reasons and the  idyllic times that  I  was grateful to grow up in,  and in thought give a mental kick to the person or persons who made the decision to be rid of such a nostalgic front.
( I found this great video of all the past and present memories of this wonderful place, enjoy.)

It was like this one only silver, funny how those details don't change

It truly was idyllic, I wasn't the only one who has said this.  We really  could leave our windows open at night, or even camp out on the porch, the doors were rarely locked,if they were I'm not sure when. 
We 'd ride our bikes and stay out until the street lights came on,  other times when we'd have our bath, with  p.j.'s  on and mom  filled a paper grocery bag  full of popcorn, dad had the blankets laid out in the back of the silver Chevy station wagon and off we headed to the drive in.
 There were many things that summer and nostalgia go hand in hand, even now for those around me memories are being created.  Idyllic it may not be but memories are created in our hearts and minds and are timeless.

lightning bugs in a jar

How about those Van Camps Pork and Beans bubbling in the oven and a potato salad adorned with sliced hard boiled eggs, do they take you back?  What food, place, person, smell, turns into a heart felt memory on a steamy evening. 
I can think of so many things, but instead of going back I've been thinking of the more recent memories of the last few days at the beach with family and love what I've  accumulated. 

Hey, it's time to come in, the street lights have been on for hours........

**Findlay, Ohio**