Kyle and I were driving back from our wine event in the Tahoe area on Monday, and a few cars ahead of us was a truck and trailer hauling fresh-cut pine logs. I commented on how the smell took me right back to summer and our trips to Hogan Lake with the boat. My landmark that we were almost there was the lumber yard just before the turnoff—you could smell it before you could see it. Kyle laughed and said he had never heard me tell that story before.
Isn’t it funny how we can be transported back in time so quickly by a simple smell or picture?
For me, summer was a busy time for my dad. Wine grape farmers can’t just leave in the middle of the season; it’s a critical time for decision-making and careful tending to ensure a successful harvest. Because of that, we rarely took summer vacations.
Times were simpler, and lazy summer days happened without much planning. On many summer afternoons, my dad would start early and finish by 2:00 or 3:00. He would tell my aunt (who spent many summers with us) and me to have the boat cleaned and ready. When he wrapped up his day, we would head to the lake. We would ski, swim, and usually enjoy a very simple picnic on the shore. And we always stayed until dusk—those final moments when the water goes completely still and glassy and the skiing is at its best.
It was time away, time together, and just pure fun. The spontaneity of it, the simplicity of it, and the absence of any timeline except the sunset made it feel like pure summer.
Often, the simple blessings bring the most joy and the deepest exhale.
Summer is the one season that makes doing less feel not just acceptable, but necessary.
While we no longer escape on the boat, my simple pleasures in summer might be enjoying my morning coffee in the cool, quiet air, or stealing a few minutes on a pool float with a cold glass of rosé before anyone joins in (Charlie, our dog, LOVES the pool).
The calendar may not have officially called it yet, but summer has arrived.
May we all find and protect those 15-minute moments of lazy summer days in the season ahead.
