As writers, we spend a great deal of time describing settings. If we’re any good at stringing words together, what we “see” in our mind’s eye is only part of the grand picture when world building. And, maybe it’s because we are writers that we pay attention to all our senses. We feel a setting, immerse ourselves, right down to the smallest details.
I recently traveled to Orlando for vacation, something my family does often since we once lived in Central Florida. As I waited for my flight in the crowded Delta terminal, my mind meandered through the past week. Sights in “The City Beautiful” are astonishing, but the sounds and scents are unique as well. The grass and earth in Florida smell different than they do in New England. So does the tap water. My family calls it “Florida Water,” and it makes us happy because it means we’re on vacation.
If we leave out our vision and taste senses, what are some other impressions of summer? How about the aromas of popcorn, hot dogs, and beer coupled with the crack of a bat? A man I met at that same Orlando airport was traveling to Boston to visit Fenway Park. He told me he dreams of those things since he has happy memories of growing up near the ballpark. For him, it’s a every-few-years pilgrimage to immerse himself in his favorite place, including those special sounds and scents. “It’s that Boston city smell," he admitted with a silly grin. “Every city has a smell, but I like Boston’s best.”
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Definitely the shore, Kathryn! The sound of the waves, the seagulls screeching, children screaming and laughing. And there is a scent of the ocean mingled with sun tan lotion, hot dogs, and a variety of foods people bring to enjoy on the beach.
ReplyDeleteI love it too, Hannah! Growing up near the ocean - never actually living more than one hour from it - the shore calls always to me. Any season, any time of day. :D
Deleteyou know what I love about summer, Kathy? The sound of the rain. I know it's weird, but the rain sounds different when it's beating against summer foliage and flowers. And the after-the-rain smell is simply divine in the summer. Fresh, clean, divine!
ReplyDeleteTruth, and providing it's not destructive, a good thunderstorm to wash away the heat. We had a super-rainy night, ushering in some blessed cool air to New England after this latest heat wave, so your comment is spot-on!
DeleteA wonderful post! It's hard to argue with any of the things mentioned, much less choose a favorite. I think I'll go with the sound of pint-size ball players yelling, "Hey, batter, batter..."
ReplyDeleteOh...CUTE!!! Conjures up an instant mental picture! :D
DeleteYesterday I heard a sound of summer that has yet to make it to my house -- the zip, zip, zip of hummingbirds! My daughter has two at her house, but sadly, my house is hummingbird empty this summer.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE "hummers" as we call them at our house! That zip, zip, zip took some getting used-to for our poor pup, who likes to lounge on a deck near their feeders. We have two colors of these feisty little feathered friends on our wooded property, and daily "dog fights" - as in planes - happen daily. Hopefully your hummers will return soon!
DeleteI have a friend who lives near Canobie amusement park. You can sit on her deck and hear the people winding their way to the top of the roller coaster and gushing down it with screams and laughter. She gets to hear happy people all day long!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's cool, Nora! I bet she gets fireworks at night, too! Definite sounds of summer in New Hampshire!
Deletef you’re talking about childhood summers then for me it’s the big Canadian National Exhibition...to most Torontonians that’s the EX no matter that the news has always shortened it to CNE. It was and always will be the EX to locals. The smells from the Food Building, the barkers recorded calls of “Get yer snow cones!” The scent of English lavender from the booth. The long lines for washrooms. I went a couple of years ago and loved every moment...no rides though...I’d have lost my lunch.
ReplyDeleteAwesome, Bonnie! You paint a great picture for us! So, of course, now I want to to visit the "EX." The English Lavender is a stand-out impression, a surprise compared to the typical fair/exhibition scents and sounds. :D
DeleteFor me it will always be the sound of a ball hitting a bat and fireworks. That's summer to me. And rain. Yes, the sound of rain in the morning. I don't know why. Loved the post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kara! It's amazing...the sounds and scents that trigger thoughts and memories.
DeleteFor me it's the ocean. The first sting of the chilly Pacific as I wade in. The smell of sun-baked seaweed. And how about those grits of sand in places we'd rather not have sand? I still stomp on the kelp bulbs to hear their loud crunch as they collapse beneath my heel. My inner child delights in that. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love it, Kathleen! And what a unique thing to me as I live on the opposite coast! Lots of seaweed but no kelp. How fun! My in-laws have a summer home in Maine, and you can drive along their beach road and know the position of the tide based on the scent. There isn't a bad low-tide smell, rather one that reveals boulders covered in seaweed, barnacles, and wet, squishy dark sand. It's a fresh, beautiful (and fun) scent, which screams "tide pools!" to the kid in me.
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ReplyDeleteI grew up in a little town nestled in the foothills of the Rockies. During the summer, when temperatures got too hot, we'd retreat up into the mountains.
ReplyDeleteThere, cool air rustled in the Aspen leaves and was scented with the tart, fresh scent of junipers and evergreens. It was accompanied by the smell of leather hiking boots, damp earth, and sweat.
We would make our way up the steep trail amidst the soft shush-shush of pine needles underfoot, our breathing growing labored with the incline. Hidden streams gurgled and tumbled over rocks long before they came into view. Our soundtrack was birdsong and the scrabble of squirrels racing up tree trunks when we approached.
If we were lucky, we'd find a hidden cache of sun-warmed blackberry bushes humming with bees. We'd rest while popping sweet bursts of flavor onto our tongue and leaving our fingers sticky and slightly purple.
Approaching the summit, the land and trees would fall away and the horizon would be spiked with a circle of surrounding peaks. Exhausted, but filled with a sense of accomplishment, we would sprawl on the large rocks and enjoy the sweet crunch of an apple and a Snickers bar before heading back down again.
A+ Satin! I LOVE the summer scene you set here! Does your childhood setting find its way to any of your books? I hope so!
DeleteI love sleeping with my window open in the summer! Hearing the bullfrogs and the peepers as the water from my duck pond gently laps, just soothes me to sleep!
ReplyDeleteOh, that sounds fantastic, Kari. SO soothing. *le sigh*
DeleteLovely sensory trip through summer. This year, summer began with the scent of day lilies bordering the porch at our country house, the orange, pink, and red summer wildflowers in the field behind us, the sound of the deer's hooves crossing the road in front of that house, the weird bleat of the fawns as they scurry after their mothers, the feel of the wind blowing across the meadow. Earlier this month, the smell of summer was the pinon surrounding my brother's home in the Colorado mountains. We slept with the windows open, and the constant breeze blew the scent of pinon into the room. Scent, more than any other sensory experience, has the power to deeply embed memories.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Joan! So different from what I'm familiar with, living in New England, and yet you've put me right there. I totally agree, scent is a powerful component of memory. Thank you for sharing!
DeleteJust came back from Florida and already miss it. The second I smell that ocean air, my whole body relaxes and my mind clears. It was especially gratifying to see the same response in my husband, who doesn't get to go as often as I do. We went to a little shop that sells essential oils, so I picked up ones that remind me of the beach to blend into my own perfume 💕
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Elsa! Wearing a little touch of that relaxing ocean feel every day. I love the ocean air, too. *sigh*
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