Summer and My Childhood

Unlike Europeans, my family never spent long vacations out of town or abroad during the summer. With so much sun throughout the year, perhaps there was no need to savor every sunny day. The only vacation I remember was when we went to Baguio when I was around five years old. After that, all my summers were spent at home. I remember playing hide and seek, catching dragonflies, and riding the swing at the playground right in front of our house. I recall climbing alatiris trees, taking long bicycle rides far from our subdivision, and serving as a sacristan during Holy Week.

I never had the summers by the lake in David Macfarlane's Summer Gone, but I hope to make week-long summer vacations a tradition in my own family. We don't have too many lakes, but we have some of the best beaches in the world. I would like my two boys to grow up with fond memories of perfect summer days evoked in the book and none of the dysfunctions of Caz's family. I want them to remember being pushed by the waves, building sand castles, being burned by the sun, eating grilled seafood, and wanting summer days never to end.