Summer, Simply: 44 Easy Ways to Enjoy the Season
When it comes to summer, it’s the little things we remember most.
Catching lightning bugs and putting them in a jar to watch them glow. Eating ice-cold watermelon on hot, humid days. Spending the day at the beach and shaking out the sand from everywhere before being allowed in the house. Monopoly marathons in the backyard. Setting up the table outdoors so we could enjoy meals in the fresh air.
Now that it’s the first day of summer — the summer solstice officially begins at 7:09 p.m. EDT on June 21 in the northern hemisphere — it’s time to think about all the things, the little things, that help us enjoy the new season. No need to spend hours online planning a big vacation — we bet you can enjoy an easy dozen of these this weekend, no effort or planning required.
- Watermelon seed-spitting contests
- Lying in the grass, watching the clouds change shape
- A cold glass of rosé or sangria
- Balsa wood gliders
- Bare feet
- Sunsets
- Sunglasses. What better way to look cool instantly — and to hide how tired you really are?
- Lemonade made from scratch
- Summer fruit: cherries, peaches, blueberries, strawberries
- Bike rides
- Highlights in our hair. From spending time outside, not from a bottle.
- Sandcastles
- Adirondack chairs
- Fresh herbs from our container garden
- Freeze tag and capture the flag
- Sleeping with the windows open
- Freshly cut grass
- Clam shacks. Especially Flo’s, in Middleton, Rhode Island, and Sam’s Chowder House in Half Moon Bay, California
- Dinner under the stars
- Farmers’ markets
- Porch swings, if you’re lucky enough to have one. (Known in Europe as “Hollywood swings,” because Europeans see them mostly in movies)
- Weekend movie marathons
- Fourth of July sparklers
- The Olympics. When else do you see diving on television?
- Long days
- Touch football
- Meteor showers (especially the Perseids, viewed from somewhere near Rockport, Maine. But we realize that may be a bit much to ask.)
- Chocolate fondue
- Other people’s swimming pools
- Wimbledon
- Cotton sundresses
- Chocolate soft-serve ice cream with chocolate sprinkles
- Outdoor showers
- Bed sheets hanging on the line to dry
- Garden-grown tomatoes
- Free outdoor concerts
- Hydrangeas and peonies
- Friday night potlucks with friends, barbecue optional
- The Beach Boys’ Sounds of Summer
- Hammocks
- Tiki torches (We love ‘em even if they are cheesy)
- Sprinklers
- Playing hooky to go to the beach
- Roses. Yep. Time to stop and smell them.
Have a great summer. — CG and KW
