Summer Fun

This summer is turning out to be much awesomeness. I'm swimming all the time now that my only options aren't the dirty, cold waters of El Dorado County. No more fear of stepping on budweiser cans or being bothered by scruffy drunk hicks with too much ego and not enough education. (Can you tell I'm really glad I finally left that god-forsaken place after ten years)?

It's been eventful, but also very relaxing. Last summer at this time we were getting ready to go to Europe. I can't believe it's already been a year. What a wonderful trip. I still miss the Irish countryside. Friends of ours are considering the possibility of a trip to Greece or Italy next summer, but we'll see. We have some money saved up but we're trying to be very careful. We might need to wait. Plane tickets alone will be over a grand.

So no huge events this summer, but still it's been a lot of fun and I am really liking being back in the valley, despite the heat. The smells and the trees and the flowers and the atmosphere down here is a lot like Tracy where I grew up (except, no Holly Sugar plant smell on the North end of town like in Tracy)! When I go back up the Placerville, the smells and the environment are more recently familiar to me, but the smells of Davis are deeper. They remind me of rollerblades and best friends, monkey bars and long walks home from school. They remind me of sneaking out late at night without my parents knowing, sitting underneath the stars in parks, breaking my curfew. They remind me of the years between two and sixteen, the years I spent in Tracy growing up, good and bad.

This time, though, the bad memories are fading and the smells sights are being re-associated with love, friendship, joy and happiness. No more does a walk on a dark night remind me of the pain I felt when my parents split up and I had nowhere to turn. It reminds me of bike rides with Chris. I have a deep sense of home here. It's like being six again; everything is hopeful.

This summer has been great for me. I'm really enjoying downtown, the art galleries, the home-town pizza places, the UC events, the peacefulness of it all. I've started learning what some of the local plants and trees are, just like I did when I moved to Placerville. I've gotten to know Magnolia and I've even seen Magpies, which didn't come to Tracy much. It's all new and all old at the same time. I just simply love where I'm at today.