Tastes, Sights And Sounds Of Summer

For Me, The Taste Of Summer Is A Cool Refreshing Root Beer Float.

Yet with the crackle of an open fire, I immediately think of s’mores … 

Then comes the image of shadowy figures … perhaps a ghost … and then the hum of voices as the telling of ghost stories begins … and the screams of those who got the wits scared out of them … then the laughter …

Summer is fun and perhaps a bit magical when shared with family and friends.

I Have Fond Memories Of Having Root Beer Floats On My Grandmother’s Front Porch During The Summer.

It was something I always looked forward to … but the real fun was when my brother and I were sent to bed and we’d sneak upstairs and sit on the window seat in one of the front bedrooms and with the window open could hear the ghost stories told by the adults on the front porch.

I suppose they thought such stories inappropriate for children … and sometimes they were … but I’d never tell what we heard … until now …

My father was talking about a summer evening on the ranch where he grew up … He remembered reading a book while he was doing the watering of the grapefruit grove … He heard something off in the distance and went to investigate, The dogs were barking and must have scared off whatever it was.

That evening, he remembered his book. It must have fallen out of his pocket. Well it was dark outside and he debated whether to go out for his book or wait until morning … but he did want to continue reading before going to bed, so he ventured out in the dark with a lantern to light his way. He was hoping one of the dogs would join him, but they were busy either chewing on a bone or sleeping.

My dad ventured out to the grove, trying to remember where he was when he heard the noise and must have dropped his book … There was a slight breeze that hummed through the trees … It was kind of spooky … but he was on a mission to find his book …

He did see a man standing there … at first he thought it was his dad checking on the grove and whether my dad did his job of watering … but when he approached the figure … it floated away to another row of trees … 

My dad called out, “Did you find my book? I must have dropped it when I was out here earlier.”

There was no response. He knew it wasn’t his dad because he was smoking his pipe on the porch when he went out. He was talking with some neighbors who had stopped by.

He believed he saw a ghost … and was determined to follow it … maybe it would lead him to his lost book. My dad had lots of paranormal experiences while growing up. 

There was a shout, but my dad couldn’t quite make it out … he thought it was the ghost telling him he found the book … but my dad had ventured out farther than the grapefruit grove found an old abandoned well … He called down into it, “Anybody there?” and it echoed back at him giving him a cold chill down his back. He swore the echo said, “Come down and join us.”

Forgetting all about his lost book he ran back to the house. He got into bed and tried to go to sleep … he remembered leaving his lantern near the old abandoned well. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharon