August is here – or shall I say, with a pleasant sigh, “Ahhhh-gust,” – one of my absolute favorite months. Whether spending lazy hot days relaxing in the sun or finding ways to cool off in the blazing heat, it’s all my favorite.
August is the month that marks summer coming to a close. To some, this is a sad realization, but there are usually plenty of fun things going on in our communities to send the summer off with a bang. Fairs, festivals, outdoor concerts, picnics, barbecues, sporting events, etc., and it seems we’re all trying to fit in one more family road trip or quick vacation before we parents begin to think about preparation for kids going back to school.
When I was a kid, we would pile everyone into the family station wagon and head out to visit family and friends, stopping to see the sights along the way. You know, the World’s Biggest Frying Pan, The Bigfoot Museum or the World’s Longest Beach. If it was advertised on a highway billboard, we stopped to see it. We were a family of nine, so it usually had to be free or low-cost entertainment. We always had a great time.
I remember one family adventure when our wagon broke down on the Pacific Highway about 100 yards from the coastline. My mom handed my dad a couple pre-made sandwiches, and he began walking down the road to the next town while she packed up all of us kids, and we took our picnic oceanside. We played in the water and sand for hours, never once stopping to worry about the situation.
Just as dusk began to settle in, an old Ford pickup truck pulled over to the side of the highway, and my dad hopped out. He and the man he’d met in town had the part needed to fix our car, tools and a big flashlight with a handle on it. The sun had set, my mom had shaken as much sand from our hair and bodies as she could and we piled back into the car. Very soon after, the hood of our wagon slammed shut, and my dad popped his head into the car. “Who’s hungry?” he said.
We followed the man in the old pickup to town where nothing was open except for the local Dairy Queen. This was a dream come true for us kids. We rarely had the money to eat out, and Dairy Queen was like we had died and gone to heaven. My parents ordered something like 10 chicken sliders, three baskets of fries and four large Blizzards.
We all had to share, of course, and I was sharing a Blizzard with my brother who is just older than me and a bit of an antagonist. He kept turning our Blizzard upside down to show me how thick it was, that it wouldn’t fall out, like the commercial on TV. So, of course, I was freaking out, like little sisters do. He was going to spill our precious Blizzard! Just as my dad had turned to give him “the look,” half of our Blizzard landed on the ground. Splat!
Luckily, we were seated outside, as it was such a warm August night, so cleanup was minimal. Naturally, I started bawling. My brother said nothing, he looked at my dad, turned to me and handed me what was left of our Blizzard. The punishment had fit the crime. As I had my fill, I did take pity on my brother, giving him the last few bites of our beloved Blizzard.
Enjoy these hot August nights. We’ll see you in the fall.
Tanya Hamel is a community liaison for Health Alliance Northwest, serving Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counties in Washington. Tanya was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She loves the outdoors and spending time with her family and their two dogs.