Summer Syndrome

Many Pacific Northwesterners share a common summertime syndrome. It’s one of those yet-to-be-named disorders, but I have proof that it exists.

Running on a beach on Quadra Island

You may even have it yourself. It is characterized by an overfull calendar of outdoor bbqs, gelato dates and weekend getaways.  You may notice that you suddenly have dozens of smoothie recipes lying around–far more than you can make in one summer. Perhaps you’re obsessing about the progress of your tomato plants, and worrying when you’ll find the time to build that chicken coop. And if you miss even one Sunday Farmer’s Market, you break out in hives.

Bounty from the summer parking strip garden.

Some Northwest summers get themselves off to a very slow start. Of course, this just accentuates the syndrome’s anxiety symptoms. Only two short months of summer, now! Will we have time to squeeze in the weekend getaway to Victoria? That wildflower hike at Skyline Divide?  The camping trip to the Olympic coast??

A hot day at Seattle Center.

For those of you who haven’t noticed this past week, summer is now very much here. Temps are soaring. Your local market may be fresh out of popsicles, and air-conditioned hotel rooms are selling like hotcakes on Priceline.

Which is why I won’t be publishing that post on our trip to Jacksonville, Oregon today. I’ll get around to that tomorrow morning, hopefully before the sun comes up. Now, I must get outside, walk to get an iced coffee, take my son to the wading pool, have gazpacho for lunch, then nap under the apple tree.

After all, September will be here before we know it.

Playing in the sand at Alki Beach.

Happy summer!

For more scenes of summer in the Northwest and beyond, check out Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Lauren Braden’s new book, 52 Ways to Nature, Washington: Your Seasonal Guide to a Wilder Year, is now available

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