These Summer Days (& Nights)

The heat’s arriving on Saturday, but tonight, as the sun set behind the western hills, that familiar summer cool spilled across the land. The spreading shadows smelled of hope and clarity, of refreshment, and that only-in-summer sensation where it feels like you are drinking the pure mountain air. The scent of shade is real, and I fall in love with it each time the heat rolls out and the evening rolls in.

Samwise and Emily spent more time stopping along the trail, putting their snouts to wildflowers and weeds, nearly entangling themselves in the bittersweet vines. I prefer the budding milkweed, the most underrated of all blossoms. They’ve just begun blooming. We made for a comical sight this evening with their noses down on the ground and mine atop a hip-high stem. We were all so entranced that we lingered for quite some time.