The smell of suntan lotion and Noxzema cause me to follow my olfactory sense right back to the beach vacations we took every year. My grandmother and my parents would slather Coppertone lotion on us every morning and we would still get sunburns. So, at night, they would slather us with Noxzema to take out the burn. The next day, we would get our slathering of Coppertone and a t-shirt.
There are honeysuckle bushes along the path where I walk the dog down to the marsh. Honeysuckle has a distinctive smell that rushes me back to my childhood backyard. The honeysuckle was located on the back side of the clothesline and every time I had to go out to bring in the wash, I inhale the smell of that honeysuckle as I ran in and out of the sheets hanging on the line.
The smell of impending rain also transports me back to my youth. It seemed that an afternoon thunderstorm paid us a visit every single day during the summer. They only lasted about thirty minutes but they were amazing! The feel and smell of the air became cooler and thunder rumbled in the distance. It was glorious.
And whose summer memories aren't stirred up by a cookout? Anything cooked on the grill smells divine and takes me back to the days of hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. We have a neighbor behind our house that does something when he's grilling that, as soon as I smell it, my mouth immediately begins watering. One of these days, I'm going to hop that fence when he goes inside and grab some of that deliciousness!
My list of summer smells could go on and on as some of you who read Empty Nest know. But these posts are supposed to be short and I want to hear what your favorite summer smells are and where they take you.
This is Day 15 of the A-Z Challenge!
A strong chlorine smell still takes me back to the first time I had a season pass to the local community swimming pool. I was 9 years old. Ricky Nelson's Traveling Man played over and over on the jukebox (those teenage girls!) and my favorite snack was a frozen Milk Shake candy bar on a stick. I can close my eyes and be there!
ReplyDeleteYes! I remember that smell as well. My favorite snack was peanuts in a coke. Yep, we put our peanuts in our coke bottles. Now I think that's disgusting. Ha! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteOHHHHHHH What a lovely post!!! I was thinking along the same lines/things....I thought it would be silly if I posted something like that. Smiles-----thank you for being brave, wink. Blessings
ReplyDeleteI did a whole series on Empty Nest last summer and covered all 5 senses. You should try it! It's really fun and people liked it. :) Thanks!
DeleteSteak on the grill is summer. Sunscreen with coconut is summer. The wet pavement after a rain is summer. Pluff mud as you cross onto Sullivans Island is summer. And the sound of summer is rubber flip flops.
ReplyDeletePluff mud just reminds me of Hugo. It was all over my mother's house and her clothes. I can still smell it sometimes. Maybe that's just because I didn't grow up around here. But the steak and sunscreen? Yes! :) Thanks for sharing!
DeleteOn clothes and in a house it would be gross. But that smell said "We are finally here!" and my mother rolled down the car windows to let it in. Sort of stinky but definitely summer. After an experience like yours, I imagine I wouldn't like it anymore!
DeleteThe smell that said, "We are finally here!" to my daughters was the fart factory- Westvaco- as we passed through North Charleston to Mount Pleasant. LOL
DeleteOh yeah there are many smells that take me back to my childhood, like the smell of Old Spice aftershave makes me think of dad all the time
ReplyDelete