As school winds down, a look at summers past

End of school: Do you have a favorite

It's almost here, the heat index is proof! The calendar may say summer begins on June 21, but any 5-18 year old will tell you that summer begins when that last school bell rings.
My kids spend the summer alternating between planned activities and just waking up when we feel like it and seeing where the day takes us. I love those long, lazy days of summer. It got me thinking about my summers growing up in Clear Lake in the 1980s.
My sister and I were lucky enough to grow up on a greenbelt. We could turn left and head to the park and pool, or turn right and head to the Stop and Go for frozen slushies. If we headed down to the "little bridge" we could catch crawdads, tapoles and if we were lucky a turtle or two. There was always a day or two where we would set up a Kool-aid stand and hope for some business. I will never forget the time the UPS driver actually pulled over to buy a cup. I think we made a total of twenty-five cents that day.
When our parents got home, we would often head to Freeman Memorial Library. Like today, there we summer reading programs that provided an incentive to read. This is a tradition I have continued with my children. They seem to have inherited my love for a good book. All local libraries have excellent summer programs.
Every so often we were treated to Baskin and Robbins ice cream. The one on El Camino and Nasa 1 always had the added bonus of the possibility of watching a family of ducks waddle down the sidewalk.
When I got old enough to drive, nothing said summer like a day at Baybrook mall! Back then, there was still a movie theater and that was a good way to kill a few hours.
So now that I have shared mine, it is your turn. What do you think of when you think of summers growing up in Clear Lake?