- Hello, this is Jack from tofluency.com
and this is my wife Kate.
- Hi!
- Now we are back with another conversation
that will allow you to learn English
in a very natural way.
And in this conversation, we're going to talk about summer.
But before we do, be sure to go to tofluency.com/summer
to get the transcripts,
to find out how you can get the transcript
and different words and phrases
that are taken from this lesson.
So yeah, we're going to talk about summer today.
It was Kate's idea for the topic.
So why don't you lead us off.
- Sure.
So summer actually starts next week for us,
when we're making this video.
So even though the weather's hot,
it's just about to be summer.
So my question, if I can kick it off with a question,
is summer your favorite season?
- No. - Explain your answer.
- Okay, my favorite season is spring.
It used to be summer.
When I was growing up in the UK.
And that's because that's when we, potentially,
had the best weather.
Spring was always chilly,
it was never really that warm.
But then summer also used to be the time
when you had the break from school.
You had the break from whatever you were doing at that time.
Like university, college, well we call it college,
and school.
So I used to love the summer holidays.
I used to love them.
We did so many fun things.
But now I think it's spring.
Because it's a lot fresher, it's not as humid.
And you have all the period of
warm weather ahead of you.
So you start and you say, "Okay, from now on
"we're going to have so many months,
"where it's not gonna be cold.
"Where we can do things outside,
"we can go swimming, et cetera."
- So almost like the anticipation of summer
is better than summer?
- Yes.
Yeah because every week is another week where
it's going to get darker earlier.
Not really cooler, but you just have less time
of that season.
And we're getting very close
to the summer solstice, aren't we?
- Mm-hmm, yeah absolutely.
- It's gonna be in a week or so.
- Yeah, less than a week.
- Yeah and this is the time when
it's the longest day of the year.
What about you?
- To be honest, it's the same.
Summer has been my favorite season.
I would say right now, it's not my favorite season.
Because again, it's just a little bit too hot
to enjoy the days outside.
Because we live in the south of the United States,
it gets up into the mid 80s and beyond.
We have a lot of thunder showers in the afternoon.
So I think that it's not my favorite season,
but there's just something special about summer.
All of the light and the outdoor activities, and the food.
- Yeah, like what I enjoy about it,
and you have to try and make the most of it,
going swimming.
So to find an outdoor pool,
and just to feel really fresh and cool
when it's hot outside.
I also like staying out late, like outdoors.
So we don't get the opportunity to do this
as much these days, but just to sit on the porch,
have a cup of tea, or have a beer.
Listen to the insects, the noises that they make
and just relax, that's what I like about summer.
- And around here, we also have lightning bugs.
Do you have lightning bugs in the UK?
- It's very rare to see one.
I remember one time when I saw one,
but that might have been on holiday or something.
But no we don't.
Lightning bugs, they're also called fireflies?
- Yes.
- You can call them both.
And they're these little flies that,
I guess, what category of insect?
- I'm not sure. - Maybe a beetle?
- Yeah, they look like beetles.
- And they light up.
And I think about mid-July,
it's incredible isn't it?
- Yeah.
- So they start in the ground, and then they move up
into the trees.
And then they just flash don't they?
- Yeah, it's like a light show.
Not the most exciting light show,
but I think that it's still just incredible to me.
Like even as an adult.
Just to watch, it's really exciting.
And that to me, sitting on a porch after dark,
watching the fireflies is like the ultimate summer activity.
- Yeah, and listening to the crickets at the same time.
But then, what can happen is,
that's when the mosquitoes come.
- Yes.
- So I think summer is one of those times when
a lot of things improve.
You can do different things outside,
but they're also different problems,
with the heat and the mosquitoes.
It's the same for every season.
There's always going to be advantages
and disadvantages to it.
- So I was thinking too that we could talk about
what are some activities for the summer
that are really unique to where we live
to Asheville, North Carolina?
- Yeah, splashville? - Splashville.
- Yeah, that's like these fountains downtown,
you can see it in movies, don't you?
They're not as spectacular as movies,
but you have like a flat area with these fountains
that spring water out.
Is that the right verb to you, spring water?
- Spring water, shoot water?
- Yeah, they shoot water out of the fountains.
And the kids and some adults as well,
they just go around and enjoy it.
And it's a really good way to take your kids somewhere
that isn't a pool, but they can still get that water.
What else is there around Asheville?
- So river, river activities.
- Yeah river.
- So you mentioned going out to an out door pool?
I think what's even probably more typical around here
is to find swimming holes.
So if you go out into the woods,
and there are places where the river's a little bit deeper,
because we're in the mountains
and there's a lot of mountain rivers,
there's places where the river is deeper
and you can actually go swimming
and waterfalls to swim near too.
So it's always very cold and refreshing.
And it's just exciting to kind of be out there
in the middle of nature
and explore.
- Yeah, no that's another one yeah,
the swimming holes.
So it's basically like why the river is very quiet
it's kind of like a swimming pool within the river system.
Yeah, they are god fun.
And also tubing as well.
- Yes, tubing.
- Which is where you float down the river.
Are you gonna talk about the last time you did it?
- No, well we can just say in one sentence.
I got a terrible, terrible sun burn.
So always remember sun screen when you're tubing.
All over.
- Yeah, we were rushing and Kate missed a bit.
It was really bad, wasn't it?
But, it was a lot of fun while we were on the river.
And my sister was here.
And usually it's between two and five hours, I'd say.
You can get into the river at different points
and you can use any kind of like flotation device,
what's it called, a tube?
- A tube, yeah.
- But there were different kind of things you can have.
But the most basic one is like a rubber ring
where it's like round, it's like a donut.
And you sit in it.
But then they realized I think that,
"Hey let's make this more comfortable."
So they'll put something at the bottom, so you can sit on.
Like a back support as well.
And then usually people will take another tube
and fill it with things to drink and eat
while you're floating down the river.
And then there are these different bars and restaurants
that you can stop at, get out the river and just go there.
And it creates a very
like a really fun atmosphere, doesn't it?
Because people, they've been on the river for hours,
then they come into a bar and they're happy.
They're really happy.
- And there's other sports too.
Like paddle boarding is really popular now.
Kayaking, and people going canoes.
So it's just nice, it always has a little bit of
that festive atmosphere
of people really enjoying getting out
in the sun on the river.
- Another thing that people do as well
is they go on hikes to higher altitudes
so that you can escape the heat a little bit.
So there is one, Mount Mitchell,
which I think is the highest peak
in the eastern United States.
Did you know that?
- I didn't know that.
I'm sorry, I didn't hide my surprise very well.
- So you can go there and it's a lot cooler.
You also got incredible views too.
- Oh yeah, there's some really beautiful views.
So there's a road called The Parkway
that goes through our town
and you can take it up really far into the mountains
and just see these incredible vistas
of mountains all the way around.
- And there are different stop off points where you can
go and take in the view.
What are they called?
Like they call them observation?
A look out. - look outs, yeah.
- Yeah, look outs.
Which just means that you look out
at everything that you see.
But that's a lot of fun to do as well.
- And in some of our favorite look outs
and places to stop, there are wild blueberries
that grow in the summer.
So I think also going out and getting to eat wild berries,
there's blueberries and black berries.
It's just that extra little bit of fun.
So we can't wait.
We've only been on one big hike
with our son since he was born.
But that's something that's on my summer bucket list.
What's on your summer bucket list?
- I mean just to try and take advantage of things
and to get out earlier.
Because if you wait until 11,
it's usually a little bit too hot then.
- Yeah, definitely.
- To get outside and to do things.
But we also really enjoy going to
different, mainly breweries.
Ironically, I think we might have talked about this before
but one of the best places to go to with kids
is to the place where they make beer.
When you tell people,
they get a little bit confused sometimes.
Because you think of the place where they make beers
as very industrial
and where only adults go.
But they've done a really good job here
at trying to make it family friendly.
One of our friends is actually opening up a brewery soon
which is going to be probably our choice
that the place that we go to.
Usually on a Friday night.
- It's nice, not that we necessarily drink a lot of beer
but it's really good to have a good atmosphere
and just to have a really relaxed place
where kids can run around and adults can talk.
And usually there's live music.
So you can hear a band at the same time.
- And they have food trucks too.
- Oh yeah, and food truck.
Food trucks are a big part of life in summer
where we live too.
So usually whenever you go somewhere
where people might be gathering,
there's some food truck that has parked up
and you can order food from them.
And there's just all sorts of different cuisines
and different options to eat.
And they're so delicious.
They do a really good job of putting together
really interesting meals that you can order.
- Yeah, there's a lot of variety.
- Lot of variety.
- Yeah so, what I wanted to discuss as well was
what you did in the summer as a kid?
- Okay.
- 'Cause I kind of talked a little bit about that but,
you know it's obviously different as you grow up.
But I know that summer camps are popular here.
Did you ever go to a summer camp?
- I did, I went to a lot of summer camps.
I was very fortunate my parents really prioritized
booking for interesting summer camps
that I could do when I wasn't in school.
So I got the opportunity to
really explore the surrounding areas.
To go out in nature and try different things
like rappelling off of cliffs,
and going into caves.
And also, I just did the camp at my local school
which was doing slip and slides.
So they would put down a big plastic sheet
and run water down it and you would slide down the hill.
And kind of more typical summer activities.
Probably the most exciting summer camp that I did,
which was also where I worked as a teenager,
was a sailing camp.
So every summer I would go and take a sailing course
and learn a little bit about sailing.
And then eventually I worked there as a teenager.
So that will always have a really special place in my heart.
- That's a really cool summer job.
- Yeah, it was genuinely, like the ultimate summer job.
- Yeah, I had a couple of summer jobs.
Well mainly I had like year-round jobs,
paper rounds, milk rounds.
But there's one year, I think I was 15 or 16
and I worked in the hospital.
- That does not sound like a typical summer job.
- No, it was really rare.
In fact I think they kind of
they kind of forgot about the rules in a little bit
because I think you had to be 18 to do it.
But my mom knew someone at hospital
and he said, "Oh, it's going to be okay."
But oh, it was crazy, it was crazy working at the hospital.
- Yeah, I bet you saw a lot of things
that most 15 year-olds don't get to see.
- And because the boss knew that I was young,
they wanted to test the boundaries
to see what I would do and how I respond.
And I think we'll talk about that in another episode,
but it was a very fun month.
It was like two or three months of that summer.
- So your mother was a nurse,
and you were working in a hospital,
did that kind of help clarify in your mind
that you didn't want to pursue medicine?
Or was that something that you were even considering?
- I wasn't, I didn't even think about it.
Yeah, I just thought, wow, I'm earning money.
That is so much more than my paper round
and I spent it on designer clothes.
- Did you? - Yeah.
Like a Dragon shirt.
You know these like gray pants and loafers
and some jackets.
- Stop, and back up a little bit.
The dragon shirt.
Was it like an oriental style dragon?
- Yes, so it was like a blue button shirt
with like this dragon part in here.
It was very fashionable at the time to wear that.
But, you know obviously, a few months later
I wasn't wearing any of it.
But I spent a lot of money on it.
- Yeah, that was really important to you.
- Yeah and I remember buying different types of shoes
and then like a 80-pound jacket.
So I was spending a lot of money on this,
you know as a 16-year-old.
That's what I spent my money on.
- I wish you still had that dragon shirt.
- Hmm, I don't think I do.
But I'm sure we have pictures of it because I wore it for
the school leaving party.
I'll have to show you a picture,
'cause I did something quite special to my hair.
- Yeah, maybe Jack, if we do find it,
maybe that will be part of the bonus material.
- Yeah, I'll put it in the bonus materials.
Describe the picture.
Well good, anything else to say on summer?
- I just wanna talk about summer foods,
because as you know, foods are one of my passion.
What are your favorite summer foods?
- I love salads.
- I love salad too.
- Because I don't want to eat it in the winter.
It just doesn't match, does it?
You want more things like stews and hot dishes.
But the salad in the summer
and also because you can get a lot of it very fresh
and local, we go to this party every Wednesday
and some of our friends,
they grow all their own produce.
So they bring a salad that they just picked that day.
It's incredible, isn't it?
- So good, yeah it's delicious.
- So that's what I like about the summer foods
is that you can get a lot of it fresh
and it just feels like the right time to eat salads,
for example.
What about you?
- I love corn.
- Corn, yeah.
- Corn on the cob.
- And I remember when you first talked about it.
And you would refuse to cook it any other way
than to boil it.
Have you changed your mind on that now?
- Yes and no.
So I feel like I'm very opinionated
about the corn that we get.
I like it to be extra fresh and really sweet.
And I think that there is nothing better
than corn that's been boiled for a couple of minutes
with some fresh butter melted on it.
That's probably my ultimate summer food.
And I love watermelon too.
- Yeah, I don't like watermelon.
I like to eat it sometimes.
But it just, I know this sounds silly.
But it just takes up so much room.
And it's hard to cut.
So when our fridge is full of stuff,
you bring a watermelon home,
and I think, oh, where are we gonna put this?
And I have to solve that problem normally.
Yeah, I'm not a big fan of watermelon.
- It is a big commitment.
And I feel like I can't look at watermelons the same way
because you might remember this from last year.
When I was pregnant last year with our daughter
and every single week, I would get an email saying,
"What size fruit?"
There was a comparison,
like your baby is the size of a blueberry.
Your baby is the size of a peach.
And then the final fruit was a watermelon.
And so I would just go to the grocery store
and look at the watermelons thinking like.
- Yeah, it's a different shape though isn't it?
That's what always confused me about those once.
Okay, it's the size of, it would say like a,
not a sweet potato, but like a peach.
- Or it would say like a stalk of celery.
- Really?
- No, it didn't say celery.
- But anyway, it never seemed to be like
the shape of a baby.
A watermelon is not perfectly round.
But I guess they are a little bit when they're inside
because they're like.
- They're like curled up.
I guess at the end you do have like a watermelon
size belly.
- Well, I think that's a good place to end it on.
- Yeah.
So I'm excited that.
- Question. - Question,
oh what's the question?
- You always have to ask the question.
- I think that my question for today
is gonna be a the same ones that we've been talking about.
What is your ultimate summer activity?
And what is you favorite summer food?
- Yeah, I find that really interesting as well
because you'll see it in different countries.
- And is summer your favorite season?
Why or why not?
- We've asked three questions.
- Can I ask three questions?
- Yeah, answer them all,
answer your favorite one.
Yeah and leave a comment below.
Like I said before, go to fluency.com/summer
to learn about how you can get the transcripts,
some downloadable phrases and other fun stuff
and maybe a picture of me in my dragon shirt,
if I can find it.
I think my sister has it somewhere.
- Yeah, is she saving it to blackmail you?
- No, she had a different picture for that.
I think you know which one.
The one where, I'll show you later.
Anyway, it's not about me and my pictures.
Tofluency.com/summer.
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Okay, so we'll speak to you soon.
Thank you for being here.
- Happy summer. - Happy summer.