Summertime in Homewood
I know We Love Homewood Day is in May, but I think I’m going through my own personal “I Love Homewood” phase right now. It seems like everywhere I turn, something else is reminding me why I love living in this town. Every season brings its own particular joys and sights, and perhaps my favorites come in the summertime. Kids in sprinklers, pools filled to capacity, the ice cream truck making its daily rounds (even though it seems to come in the winter months, too), parks brimming with people of all ages—everything feels a bit lighter in the summer.
Recently, I saw a fire truck sitting outside a house down our street. Instead of firemen running around with hoses, I saw balloons tied to a Happy Birthday sign and kids and their parents lined up in the front yard, waiting to climb on the truck for a tour. Each child was wearing a red plastic fire hat and a big grin. Blame it on my pregnancy hormones if you want, but I got teary seeing all the smiling faces, the beautiful morning sunshine and the gentle breeze in the trees. Of course, things like this happen in other cities, but I’d never seen a fire truck birthday party before, and to me, it just screamed, “We are Homewood and we love it!”
Another Homewood treat has to do with my family’s weekend routine, which lately has included frequent trips to Sam’s Deli for dinner. All the Edgewood restaurants are packed on the weekends with folks sitting outside enjoying the pleasant weather, but we’ve discovered that Sam’s is an especially great place to take our daughter, and for more than just the food—there’s a grassy hill behind the restaurant that attracts kids like ants to a
picnic. Kate loves to run around behind the bigger kids, the hill full of shouts and laughter. It gives us parents a nice reprieve to eat our dinner in relative peace while the little ones play and tire themselves out before bed. Occasionally Kate stops by our table to take a bite of her grilled cheese, but mostly, she just enjoys the company of the other kids—kids she’ll probably go to school with one day.
It being July, I’m most excited about the Fourth of July fireworks. We’re usually at the beach for the holiday, but since I’m due at the end of July, I figure it might be better to stick around town. If things were to happen early, I don’t want to have my baby in Pensacola instead of the fancy new Brookwood Women’s Medical Center!
Even though I’ve lived in Birmingham for 11 years, most of those in Homewood, I’ve only been in town once to see the fireworks on the mountain. That year, my husband Matt and I took some friends up to the roof of his company’s building, which was situated near downtown Homewood and had a perfect view of Vulcan and the explosions in the sky. This year, we’ll keep Kate up past her bedtime so she can see her first fireworks show. I can just see her now—hands planted over her ears, eyes open wide and a huge grin on her face.
The night of July 4th is one of many special times for Homewood, much like the lighting of the Christmas star or We Love Homewood Day, when people from across the city come together for the same thing and excitement floats in the air. Happy Summer, Homewood!