My two summers

It’s delivered as it was ordered for the exact right day! It’s literally poring down this first September day, the day we count as the beginning of fall in Sweden. So yesterday was the last official day of summer and I was sitting under my apple tree working, grateful about still open doors and windows, cherishing the sun.

But today doors and windows are sheltering me from this first heavy fall rain. This is the time of year I am migrating west if I have wings for it. That is, if I didn’t fly over for August already.

It’s just the perfect combo for a summer: June July in Sweden when the light refund from our pitch-dark winters keeps us up around the clock and the wild flowers grow tall and delicate. And then when the anxiety of the fading daylight evenings grabs me and the meadows are withered, I spread my wings and arrive in Seattle at the peak of the summer. Or, if going for September, getting one whole month more of warmth and sun, usually not having the confrontation with the above 90° F (32° C) heat waves though.

Not that I mind the heat waves. Not at all. My body is a battery always in need of serious charging; I simply cannot get enough. The pleasure of the sun against my skin, being embraced by that dry heat, is the proof that I need it.

The Swedish summer is outstanding, mostly for the light, if it’s a good one. It’s unreliable though. Sometimes the Swedish summer is like today, more like a Seattle winter. The Seattle summers on the other hand are very reliable. Once we are passed July 4^th it’s a three-month stretch of sun and temperatures around 80F and more. This year there was no measurable rain in July, and my September stay 2012 was a five-week spell of eternal sunshine and warmth.

And yes, now it’s even scientifically proven! Seattle is the only US city I have been living in, but I can’t imagine American summers being lovelier than in The Emerald City. And, it turns out I am right!

Seattle has now officially sailed passed Portland, Oregon (and every other city) as the nicest place to be in the US during the summer! Why? Well, the Pacific Ocean is the simple answer. As the Pacific makes nine months of the year rainy and quite gloomy, it works the other way around during the summer. But even though temperatures can occasionally rise to close to 100F (ca 38C), the cool Pacific keeps the air dry, and you never get those muggy almost unbearable days the East coast has to fight. The ocean also makes the evening cool off, although I as a northern Swede find them incredibly warm and I just love it and can’t get enough of them!

So, won’t I miss them, entering the fall now? Of course I will. Especially on an evening like this with the rain poring down on my windows. Usually I spend the first part of the summer hunting for a flight to Seattle, browsing Craig’s List for a penthouse with a view for the latter part of my summer. Yes, you heard me right; I am hooked on penthouses, but more on that some other time.

Although my back and I are doing a lot better I couldn’t make it to Seattle this summer. There is no way I can do an overseas flight. And as I am not quite driving yet I couldn’t get around in Seattle. I can’t go to the grocery store by myself. Heck, I haven’t even been in downtown Umeå by myself for more than nine months, so Seattle is definitely out of the question.

Which has, in a way made the summer over here in Sweden more peaceful. Not the usual restlessness and Internet hunt anxiety hanging over me. That’s been kind of nice. And so has the summer weather! Second part of May was hot and wonderful, our only heat spell, but over all we’ve had a lot of sun and temperatures between 60-70F (16-22C), which is good for a Swedish summer. I’ve had more breakfasts under my apple tree than indoors and I’ve been barefoot more days than wearing shoes! That’s my Swedish summer happiness!

If I were free to choose I would live somewhere where the air was always warm against my skin. Where my bare feet could always touch a smooth wooden floor or a cool stone one. Where the soft grass or a sand beach transmits its’ sensations through my body. Where the warmth makes my joints move effortless. Where the door could always be open erasing the border between inside and outside. Where there was no need for winter clothes and heavy shoes. If I were free in that sense.

It’s September 1. The initial day of fall and it’s poring down. I’ve lit my first candles for the season. In Seattle it’s 79°F (26°C) and there is one more month of summer to expect. But I have had a summer to be grateful for. Wild flowers, light, little walks, neighbor hangouts, Sting, and some days with the top down on my Chrysler Le Baron. My body has soaked up all the heat it could find and I feel like my battery is charged, if not for the whole winter but for the fall to come. And as I am continuously getting stronger I will trust my wings for migrating west next August. And that will get me through the winter.