The Families Who Saved the Buffalo
On any given summer morning, the Buffalo National River feels as if it...
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Summer has a way of filling every available space on the calendar. One minute, school is out, and you’re making big plans. Next, you’re juggling ball tournaments, lake weekends, camping trips, church camps, family vacations, and every fun thing you promised yourself you would do while the weather was nice. Summer moves fast in Arkansas. The days are long, but somehow they never feel long enough.
Maybe that’s why some of my favorite summer memories aren’t attached to a destination or an event. They’re attached to a sound. The buzz of cicadas on a hot afternoon. The slap of flip-flops against a dock. The distant crack of a baseball bat. And for me, nothing slows my heart rate quite like the sound of a tent zipper sliding open first thing in the morning. One small zip and suddenly I’m ten years old again, waking up in a campground with an entire summer day stretched out in front of me.
The older I get, the more I realize that some of the best ways to hold onto summer are simply to stop and listen.
Early Morning: The Sounds That Start the Day
I’ve learned to embrace the mornings during summer. Arkansas summer days are often hot and humid, and the first moments of daylight offer a bit of a respite as the world comes awake. There is something magical about spending a few quiet minutes on the porch first thing in the morning. It’s a great time to reflect, plan, pray or simply enjoy the quietude.
- Coffee dripping into the pot
- Mourning doves calling from utility lines
- Cardinals singing from the backyard
- The creak of a screen door opening as someone lets the dog out
- Sprinklers clicking across the lawn
- The distant rumble of a fishing boat on the lake
- A tent zipper opening at camp
Mid-Morning: Summer Gets Moving
After breakfast is served and the first cup of coffee has been consumed, the day is full of possibilities. The kids are ready to play, and adventures are found around every corner. I’m one to always have my phone in hand, snapping pictures. Sometimes, it’s best to just close my eyes and commit the sounds of summer to memory.
- Bicycle tires on pavement
- Basketballs bouncing in driveways
- The squeak of a swing set
- Kids splashing into a pool
- Lawn mowers humming across the neighborhood
- The crack of a bat at Little League practice
- Boat trailers rattling toward the lake
The Soundtrack of a Hot Arkansas Afternoon
In the afternoon, it feels like everything slows to a crawl. The heat of the day is evident on your skin and in the thick air. As a kid, these were the hours when time seemed to stretch forever. This was also the time when boredom set in. The grown-ups settled into lawn chairs or napped in recliners while the rest of us searched for shade and something cold to drink, wondering how we would make it through the long, hot afternoon without dying of boredom. But it was in those moments that I learned to listen closely, discovering that summer afternoons have a soundtrack all their own.
- Cicadas buzzing in the trees
- Wind moving through cornfields or soybeans
- The hum of a box fan on a porch
- Ice clinking in a glass of sweet tea
- A screen door slamming after someone runs inside for a Popsicle
- The splash of kids jumping off a dock
- Thunder rumbling in the distance on a humid afternoon
- The patter of raindrops on a metal roof
Summer Nights Were Made for Noise
Somehow, summer nights seem to last longer than the clock should allow. Bedtimes are long forgotten as the daylight lingers and activities that were once reserved for weekends become commonplace on a random Tuesday. It’s a time for families and friends to come together and enjoy each other’s company as daylight fades.
- Ball games under the lights
- The pop of fireworks at the lake
- The song of an ice cream truck moving through the neighborhood
- Crickets beginning to sing
- Frogs calling from ponds and ditches
- The sizzle of burgers on a grill
- The whistle of a distant train
- Lawn chairs unfolding
- The laughter and conversation of neighbors talking
- The crackle of a campfire
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that summer isn’t as endless as it felt when I was a kid. It’s actually quite fleeting, so while I still love lake weekends and summer adventures, I’ve started paying more attention to the sounds in between. They seem small in the moment, but years later, they’re often what remains. Long after we’ve forgotten exactly which campground we stayed in or which game we won, we remember the sound of a screen door slamming, cicadas buzzing in the trees, or a tent flap unzipping to reveal another summer morning.
Summer will be busy. That’s part of its charm. But every now and then, it’s worth pausing long enough to listen. The sounds of an Arkansas summer might become the memories you carry with you longest.
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