Summer memories

 The smell of hot dogs cooking on the backyard grill and the sounds of the neighborhood on a sunny summer day are the things I remember most. I can still hear the endless opening and closing of the screen door as Mom brings out enough food to feed an army. The laughter of kids splashing in the pool we had just set up a few weeks ago echoes through my mind, even though the water hadn’t quite warmed up in the sun yet.

I recall the smell of varnish from the neighbor's boat as he prepares to launch it once it dries. There’s the sound of a street rod coming from the house across the street, where a teenage boy is showing off the work he did during the cold winter months. I remember the long phone cord that nearly reached from our house to the street, where my sister would talk privately with a boy from school.

I can picture friends and family dropping by for a swim in the new pool, while Dad shared how affordable it was with the other guys. As the sun began to set, the pool ladder would emerge, signaling the end of swimming for the day. We kids, all wrinkled like prunes, had to clean up the yard and put away the pool toys while Dad skimmed the pool to remove the leaves.

Afterward, we would take a bath to wash off the chlorine, enjoy some Jiffy Pop, and settle in for a movie, marking the end of a perfect summer day. Even if we sometimes fell asleep in front of the television before the movie was over, those memories will always stay with me. They were the best years of my life, and I can relive them whenever I catch the smell of hot dogs cooking on the backyard grill.

Mike, 2025