chlorine and popcorn.
huh?
i know.
but they hold a unique place in my memory bank.
when we lived in anchorage (until 1989) and then a few years into our wasilla residency, my dad would give my mom a weekly respite from us kids. every sunday afternoon he would take us swimming at the local high school (service high in anchorage, wasilla high in well, wasilla) during the public swim hours. it was our weekly tradition and a treasured time with dad. being the only girl, i had to use the women's locker room all by myself. for some reason, i always wanted to be the first out of the locker room , ready to go home. maybe so my dad and brothers wouldn't have to wait? maybe out of sheer competitiveness? i don't know. not do i remember what was going through my head at ages six and up (i think we stopped going when i was 12? 13?) but regardless what i was thinking, i do know that i always hurried through the processes
of showering and changing out of my swimsuit and into street clothes. due to my hurry, i never washed my hair (or dried it either) so i always came home with a head that reeked of chlorine. that's where the chlorine smell comes in. what about the popcorn? i'm getting to that.
while we were gone, my mom did who-knows-what with her kid-less time (i'll havta ask her) but right before we were due to return, she would make popcorn. not just microwave popcorn either. no...this was the real stuff...the good stuff...the drizzled-with-butter-melt-in-your-mouth kind of popcorn.
and so...with chlorine infused hair, wet swimsuits in tow, we would return home only to be greeted by the unmistakable aroma of freshly popped popcorn. after our swimsuits were haphazardly deposited in the laundry sink to "dry", we three kids would grab our white-handled bowls towering with succulent, white morsels and make our way to the family room to watch a movie (usually peter pan or mary poppins. we didn't waver much.).
a sunday night tradition.
swimming followed by popcorn and a movie.
what could be better?
and now that i'm grown...
every sunday afternoon around five pm or so...
i get a craving for popcorn.
hmmm...
i guess some traditions will never die.
i know.
but they hold a unique place in my memory bank.
when we lived in anchorage (until 1989) and then a few years into our wasilla residency, my dad would give my mom a weekly respite from us kids. every sunday afternoon he would take us swimming at the local high school (service high in anchorage, wasilla high in well, wasilla) during the public swim hours. it was our weekly tradition and a treasured time with dad. being the only girl, i had to use the women's locker room all by myself. for some reason, i always wanted to be the first out of the locker room , ready to go home. maybe so my dad and brothers wouldn't have to wait? maybe out of sheer competitiveness? i don't know. not do i remember what was going through my head at ages six and up (i think we stopped going when i was 12? 13?) but regardless what i was thinking, i do know that i always hurried through the processes
of showering and changing out of my swimsuit and into street clothes. due to my hurry, i never washed my hair (or dried it either) so i always came home with a head that reeked of chlorine. that's where the chlorine smell comes in. what about the popcorn? i'm getting to that.
while we were gone, my mom did who-knows-what with her kid-less time (i'll havta ask her) but right before we were due to return, she would make popcorn. not just microwave popcorn either. no...this was the real stuff...the good stuff...the drizzled-with-butter-melt-in-your-mouth kind of popcorn.
and so...with chlorine infused hair, wet swimsuits in tow, we would return home only to be greeted by the unmistakable aroma of freshly popped popcorn. after our swimsuits were haphazardly deposited in the laundry sink to "dry", we three kids would grab our white-handled bowls towering with succulent, white morsels and make our way to the family room to watch a movie (usually peter pan or mary poppins. we didn't waver much.).
a sunday night tradition.
swimming followed by popcorn and a movie.
what could be better?
and now that i'm grown...
every sunday afternoon around five pm or so...
i get a craving for popcorn.
hmmm...
i guess some traditions will never die.
1 comment:
Katie,
I haven't seen your blog for awhile, but I'm glad I read todays entry! I'm smiling right now as I have my childhood memories of public swim hours at Service too! How funny! Hope you are well!
Elijah looks so much like you!
love you, sarah
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