A Hot Memory

by Margie Senechal

August is here and it's hot. Too hot for this pluviophile. 103 yesterday, 106 today. I melt in the sun, not the rain.

But, this type of weather reminds me of my grandmother. She was a complicated woman--and that's a nice way of saying it. She was no-nonsense and didn't mind  telling you if she thought you weren't dressed right or if maybe, you shouldn't have the last cookie.

I grew up next door to my grandparents. When I say next door, I mean within a 100 feet or so. There were some good things about this. I'm sure if I thought real hard I could come up with them.

Here's one. They had a place on the Lewis River in North Clark County. It was a big lot they shared with a few other couples. It had one of those swing gates and a gravel driveway that led to a big house that had a huge kitchen and great room. I always thought it was like a hunting cabin even though my grandfather was a fisherman, not a hunter. 

Whenever it got hot--which back in the 70's, was when it got to be over 90--Grandma would say, "Let's go out to the Place." We'd load up, taking sandwich supplies, our worst tennis shoes, and thread-bare towels. It was probably about a twenty-five minute drive through rural Clark County--past Lewisville Park and onto a cooler sanctuary.

When we pulled up in front of the gate, anticipation jumped in our chests as we knew refreshing water was right around the bend. As soon as the car came to a stop, we begged to get to the water. But, Mom always made us help her schlep the food up like fifty stairs to the great room.

The water was shallow--about knee high or so at the deepest areas--as it was during the year when the snows had long since melted off of Mt. St. Helens and the rain hadn't fallen for a month or so. We wore our shoes in the water because of sharp or moss-covered slippery rocks and the pincher water bugs. There were tiny fish we thought about catching to take home and kill in fish bowls. Once my cousin caught a salamander in the rocks that shed it's tail before we even got on the road.

The property was sold by the Place owners sometime in the late seventies, I believe before the eruption--because I don't remember going to check it out post eruption. And my youngest sister has no memories of the Place. Poor Wendy. Because for my other sister, Debbie, these are some of our favorite "hot" memories.

For those wondering what a Pluviophile is, take a look. Yeah, I'm ready for it. I am a true Pacific North Westerner--I need rain. It's where I find my happy place.

Lastly, Happy Late Birthday, Liz! I'm sorry I forgot to send a message yesterday. Seriously, it's too hot to think around here.

Happy Thursday to the rest of you!

Comments

  1. Fun memory, Margie--thanks for sharing it. My grandparents lived in a big high-ceilinged apartment in town--but they had a bicycle that was so big my cousins and my brother and I could all get on it at the same time. ;-)

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    1. That is awesome! My sister had a banana seat bike that we could ride three on. lol it's a wonder we fight kill ourselves.

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  2. Nice hot weather memory, Margie. I guess you're getting the same heat as British Columbia. I hope you're not getting the forest fires they're getting.

    I grew up mostly on a farm, but for a couple of years when I was around six/seven, we lived in a house in town. My maternal grandparents lived across the street and my paternal grandmother was on the other side, across the back alley. Talk about close! It was great for me because I was so young, but if I'd been my mother I would have gone nuts! That's a little too close for me.

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    1. We are in that same belt of hot weather--and we're getting their fire smoke so it's pretty smoggy because there's no wind from the East to blow it toward the ocean. And no rain to tamp it down.

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  3. what a fun memory! it's really hot here - although not nearly as hot as Florida last week! - and we're ready for a break!

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    1. I'm ready for a break after a week of 80+.. This 95-100+ is killing me. Lol We only gave one window AC unit to cool down the whole house. Bedtime is not pleasant.

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  4. Even your "hot memory " involves water... pluviophile i deed! :-)

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    1. Lol. I hadn't even thought of that. But, yes, through and through.

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  5. What a cool post (sorry to be late.) I'm not crazy about the heat, either. Three digits is definitely one too many. It does make me remember sleeping in the living room because it was too hot upstairs. We'd lie there and tell stories in the dark like we were camping out. I didn't grow up to love camping, but I do like those memories.

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    1. I sleep upside down on my bed when it gets hot. Lol Which my sister figured out is because we only had one box fan that was placed in the hall between three bedrooms and that was where I caught a whiff of air. Lol

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