"Dandelion Wine" Thoughts

It's taken me a while to actually get into the flow of Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine.  At first it was a little hard to understand, but as the book went along, things became more clear.  I think the novel focuses primarily on the importance of time.  Time is an ever present element within the story.  Douglas documents many of the traditions and events over the summer, he is accumulating statistics.  I find that this places emphasis on the role of time in the novel, but contradicts the character wanting to revel in every experience possible.  Douglas is looking for the summer to last as long as it possibly can, he is trying to drag out every fond, 'perfect' moment and store it away as a memory.  I think that if he forgot about the statistics and just kept his eyes, but most importantly mind open, he might remember more when he looks back to his summer.  Time is very important in life, because it is something that is never guaranteed, but we view it as endless.