Summertime in the Pacific Northwest usually means it's time to hit the trails. The rain stops, the temperature rises and whole aisles of box fans disappear overnight at the hardware store. Many Oregonians take comfort in the AC in their cars. But higher gas prices aren't the only thing messing with our typical summer vibe. The weather keeps changing its mind on us! Some days are HOT, but others bring the overcast and showers we typically ascribe to June Gloom! Lately, our tentative plans for enjoying the summer weather often depend on if we'll be getting any of that weather at all; But those summer showers, when they happen, have a distinct smell that triggers memories for me that go back to some of my favorite summer vacations with my family in Florida.

At Walt Disney World, they know better than anybody about the power of fragrance to transport you to another place in time. They can bring you anywhere in the world through scent. From cabana to campfire, you could be carried to a Caribbean beach or whisked upriver to the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. Those scents, in turn, bring me back to those moments and carry the meaning of those moments whenever those memories return.

For us, summer means lots of family birthday celebrations. we are always creating new moments that will become lasting summer memories. When the definitive smells of summer awaken nostalgia in us all, we bake in new importance as we pass our traditions on and share them anew with our children. A simple day of picking fresh berries in the garden and making summer berry treats in the kitchen, or a stop at the neighbor's lemonade stand can awaken years of dormant experiences and take you back to when you were a kid, turned loose from school, without a care in the world.

Bloom & Haul celebrates that freedom by formulating scents to capture these types of summer experiences. We recreate that citronella-based scent that adorned the picnic table with Bug Off, a scent designed to keep the insects at bay. We bring you the hiking trails of the Pacific Northwest. And the chance to escape to a tropical island getaway (even if it's only in your mind) with the salty and sweet aromatic blend in Tropical Breeze.

I use scents to elevate my mood in my daily routines. From coffee grounds activated by percolating water to the permeating aroma of a sugar scrub in the shower, to the release of a fragrant lotion bar as it melts against the warm, dry skin of my feet or hands; these special scents prepare me for the start of a new day and help me wind down at the end of the evening. How wonderful to have these portable little time capsules to take everywhere, even if we aren't going anywhere. If you're interested in exploring the products and scents that inspired this blog entry, take a gander at our Summer Provisions collection.