Summer ain't what it used to be...

It is now early June, and for the majority of the Northern Hemisphere, it means we are firmly planting ourselves into summer.  Time to fire up the grills, get out the frozen treats, and listen for the ice cream man coming down the street.

I currently have 90 cents in change.  I wonder what I could get with that?  If I'm lucky, maybe one of those Ninja Turtle ice cream bars with the gumball eyes...  oh wait, this isn't 1988.

I am used to Summer in southern California.  Down in SoCal, summer would typically run from March until early November.  You could expect temps in the 80's and beyond (like 117 beyond) for most of the year, and I loved it.  Yes, I'm a bit overweight.  Yes, I'm carrying around a little extra insulation.  But still... give me the sun, the heat, and the feelings of a true summer.

One thing I miss about California summers are the beaches.

I lived about 45 minutes away from Huntington Beach, and loved heading out to bake in the sand and surf.  Nothing beats the sound of waves crashing into the sand, the seagulls flying in the air, and the happy laughter from the droves of beachgoers.

I miss taking my two sons to the beach.  My older feared the waves but loved the sand and sun.  My younger loved going out into the ocean with daddy, and crashing into the waves.  I could listen to him go "Here comes... a little one!! ...KWASH...  Here comes... a BIG one!! ...KWASH..." for hours on end.

Being a red-blooded male, I also miss the eye candy.  Scores of women in bikinis.  Tan, toned, and everywhere.  When you grow up around this, you take it for granted.  Now that I am hundreds of miles from any ocean, I miss it.

(It took me long enough, but I now understand why Idaho men were so riled up last fall when a bikini bar opened up in town.  When you're cleavage-deprived, it plays games with your mind...)

Not only do I miss the beach, I miss summer in general.

This is a screenshot of current weather conditions in Eastern Idaho.  This last weekend had *one* good grill-worthy day.  Other than that, we haven't officially started summer.

June or not, 40's and 50's are not summer temperatures.  I want 80's.  90's.  I want to smell sunscreen on people.  I want to feel the a/c blowing in my car.  I want to see kids running through sprinklers in their lawns.

I want to be able to wash my car on Sunday, and not have 'surprise thunderstorms' pop up on Monday.

Can it be summer in Idaho now?  Please?

A romantic rendevous turns into a fight with the bed

I recently joined Studio 30 Plus and am attempting my first writing prompt.  This week's theme is Hotel Stories, and it was just too juicy to pass up.  This has nothing to do with Idaho, so take it as you like.

My girlfriend and I were just starting the 'hot and heavy' phase of our relationship (we were friends long before) and I booked a romantic weekend getaway in Salt Lake City.

Ok, stop laughing.  Romantic and SLC don't exactly mesh, but I was living in Cali and she lived in Idaho.  It was a middle ground.  Easy flight for me, easy drive for her.

I booked the nicest suite at a good hotel, and were happy to finally get into our room (and back into each others, er, arms).

I'll be honest, it took us a while before we actually found the bed.  When we finally did, we noticed something unique.  It was a Sleep Number Bed!  Neither one of us had ever been on one before, so it felt like a fun new toy for us.

I never slept in a bed that came with an instruction manual.  After reading the basics, we picked our sides, and started playing with the firmness/softness.  We wanted to see what numbers we were, and if we were compatible in that way too.

"WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR"

Holy crap, this was a loud bed...

And it didn't really seem to work all too well.  I couldn't feel too much of a difference between a 90 and a 15.  Maybe it was just old and worn out?  I dunno.

We finally gave up on playing with the bed, and enjoyed a nice 3-day weekend together.  We left the hotel room maybe 2 times in total (a good weekend indeed...).  By the last night, we were both exhausted and content.  She was sound asleep, and I was drifting off when I heard a familiar sound...

"WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR"

This wasn't coming from our bed....

"WRRRRRRRRRRRRRR"

This was on the other side of the wall...

"WRRRRRRRRRRRRRR"

Those damn beds are so loud we could hear our neighbor playing with their bed.  Luckily that was all you were able to hear.

When I look back at the beginning of our relationship, I always look at our Salt Lake Trip and smile.  Sadly, the thing I remember most about that weekend wasn't the romance.  It was the bed.  (WRRRRRRRR...)