Western Washington's payoff months

"Summer, summer, summer,

It's like a merry-go-round - Magic."

-The Cars

Summer is the season we residents west of the Cascades have earned. Winter is the slog. Summer is the song.

The sun shines and we are better. In summer, we take the crooked path to where we're going. It's the season of youth, the season that makes us forget we'll die someday.

Summer begs us to leave the house and pretend we can sing and dance well. Work might wait, but the sun can't, not on this side of the mountains.

Summer is the season that knocks on your front door and asks you to come out and play. Summer is the seaso...