I love summer

Some things I love about summer in OlyWa:

1) Local fruit: You have not tasted berries until you've eaten Spooner's strawberries. If I ever make it to heaven, St. Peter will welcome me with a giant bowl of Spooner's. And when we can't make it to the market, we have raspberry bushes in our back yard, which SMH seems to be picking and eating while I'm not around.

2) The mountain: On a summer day, Mt. Rainier is in her splendor. She is always amazing.

3) The weather: Sunny and dry, with highs in the upper 70's and low 80's. I can run whenever I want -- noon, 3 pm, 5 pm -- and not suffer heat exhaustion. The days are long -- it starts getting light around 4:45 am and stays light until almost 10pm. And the fun is just beginning. As somebody told me yesterday, "Summer doesn't start here until the Fourth of July."

4) The nights: No need for air conditioning. Just open the window.

4) Good moods: After a rain-filled winter, people are chuffed to soak in the sun. Everybody, including my boss (especially my boss), has a suggestion for their favorite place to run, bike, camp or kayak.