• Lemon custard ice cream in a sugar cone
• Walks without jackets
• Kites on the beach
• Squeals of laughter in the surf
• Bicycles with baskets carrying picnics—or puppies
• Twilight at 9 pm
• Planning get aways
• Sunglasses and sunscreen
• A long list of books to read
• Time to draw, to write, to play
• Beanbag toss after dinner
• Radios turned up loud
• Party lights on a patio
• Salads for dinner, corn-on-the-cob, the smell of a barbecue
• Tow-headed toddlers
• Hotels with swimming pools
• Dogs groomed for summer
• Saltwater taffy
• Music from a merry-go-round
• Ceiling fans spinning over the bed
• That lazy sound of a small plane flying overhead…bonus points if it’s pulling a banner
• White shorts, striped shirts
• Beach umbrellas
• Time lengthening like a shadow
• Cool breezes
• Quilts folded and ready for picnics
• Late-night adventures
• Baseball games—better yet, milkshakes at baseball games
• A bowl of red, ripe watermelon
• Kids running in sprinklers
• Pool rafts and pool noodles
• Coffee outside, lemonade outside, iced tea outside
• Lemonade stands
• Sandcastles
• Red buckets, blue and yellow shovels
• Birthday celebrations in the park
• Hide-n-seek at dusk
• Watching a movie outside
• Ongoing games of Monopoly
• A jigsaw puzzle started in July and finished in September
• Homemade popsicles
• Craft projects
• Putting off chores to go do something fun
• Giggling with friends
• Early morning walks before anyone else is out
• Putting little umbrellas in everyone’s drink—instant party
• Trying to get your cat to talk…summer seems magical enough to be able to do that
• Finding a new hobby—or relishing an established one
• Speaking of relish: hot dogs
• A loaf of bread, some cheese and grapes is dinner!
• Thinking about who you’ll be next season, what will have changed
• Exploring your own city
• Exploring a new city
• Clothes drying outside
• Throwing your feet off the pedals
• Roller coasters, water rides, cotton candy
• Gauzy curtains blowing in the breeze
• Ambling along gravel roads with no place in particular to go
• Taking home an armful of books from the library
• Hearing that one particular birdsong every summer morning
• State fairs
• Time for “I remember…”
Now, go write a story or a poem celebrating some of this magical summer stuff.
~gail
Before you go, don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list, below:
