The Perfect Summer Day

What is your definition of a "perfect summer day"?
My definition is a summer day that starts out sunny but cool and ends with a high of 80- 85. Just warm enough but not too hot. As long as you don't have to be out physically laboring in the hottest part of the day it is just perfect.

I wake up to the sun streaming in my bedroom and lots of neighborhood noise through the window I left open all night. I throw my covers all the way back, throw open the window all the way and let summer do its magic on my whole bedroom, leaving it fresh and crisp when I return for another balmy night's sleep that night.
I like it warm enough to enjoy iced tea and a BBQ after work but probably not hot enough to get the mosquitos going.
The evenings of such days here in the Portland area are still warm enough for a brisk walk with the dog but not humid. Walking through the neighborhoods, open doors seem to bring us all together and no one seems too worried about someone bursting into their home uninvited but then you read that it does happen even in good neighborhoods sometimes.

Still , I like the relaxed attitude of those open doors in a neighborhood where that kind of crime is usually unlikely. Why, if someone started something, half the neighborhood would respond because their doors were open too.

I don't really care about heavy weeding or planting at this point, as long as someone mows the lawn and the watering system keeps it watered one can just finally enjoy the yard. Raspberries, strawberries, and a few blueberries hang waiting for a leisure stroller to pluck them from their stems, flowers burst in color and fragrance now with so little effort. Tomato vines show evidence of soon to be enjoyed red fruit, sliced on a platter next to whatever gets BBQed that night. These are the high rewards of gardening.

Maybe it is the warmth and the longer evenings with daylight lasting as late as 9:30, but these are my favorite days of the year.

Summer doesn't start til after the 4th?

Blogging must be what I do to stay in touch when the weather is bad and the skies are grey because I have been much too busy enjoying this summer weather we waited so long for to sit down and blog. Is anybody out there still reading this??!!

Let's see, since I last blogged I have :

Been to the beach with Rod and my two adult daughters

Camped with all my children (sounds like a soap!) at the annual Cooper campout in central OR

Hosted a Indian food potluck at my house last night

Still to come is:

Trip to TroutLake Wa this weekend

(maybe get back in time for our little parade and festival in the park here in town)

Annual church campout at the beach

Rod and Erin's birthday bashes

Labor Day family weekend plans

Whew....so many things to cram into the few weeks we call summer in Oregon.

My Mom Zona used to always tell us when we would complain about the cold weather in June, "Now you know that summer doesn't come to Oregon til after the 4th of July"

The problem is that shortly after the 4th you start seeing summer clearances and school supplies in the stores! That is just WRONG

What is summer like at your place?