So that I have something to look back on when I am miserably cold and stuck inside, I wanted to record for you all of my favorite things about my most favorite time of the year. Here goes...
Summer Food
In general, I like food no matter what time of the year it is. However, food in the summer is just different. First of all, the atmosphere of eating in the summer is fantastic. I love to sit out
on the back deck in the evenings in the summer and eat a freshly prepared dinner. Summer is also a great time for cookouts and barbeques. Hanging out by the pool, eating a bunch of different foods and having some beers is one of my favorite activities, ever. They also are home to some of my favorite foods (more on that later). Grilled food is also a favorite of mine, the smell, the texture, the taste is all so very uniquely summer. My personal favorite is teriyaki marinated steak on a nice, hot grill outside!Food also just seems fresher in the summertime. It feels good to eat vegetables that you know were grown right around the corner (or even your own backyard! MMM tomatoes and squash from the garden...), picked, taken to the store, and now sit on your plate. There are definitely a few foods that are also simply just summer foods, and they happen to be some of my favorites, including: fried squash, fried green tomatoes, watermelon, hot dogs/hamburgers/really any type of cookout food, corn on the cob, fresh salads, cantelope, strawberries, and most importantly, CRABS! Which brings me to one of my other favorite things about summer.
Crabs and Beer
I'm from Maryland. I was born and raised on this combo (though I couldn't actually particpate in the latter until recently). Crabs and beer = perfection. Enough said.
Being Outside/Wa
terI just love to be outside! As I've said many times, I hate being pale. Summer is the perfect time to lay out and soak up some color. All day, I lay out by the pool or on the beach, reading and relaxing. In the evenings, walking is my activity of choice. Sometimes I wish dusk would last forever in the summertime so that I could just walk and walk and walk. Being near the water is also part of being outside in the summertime. Since I live pretty close to a number of rivers, I have quite a few friends with boats, and a day on the water is just perfect for me.
Reading
I don't have very much time to read during the school year but I really really love to do it! The summer is a just a great opportunity to catch up on some of the titles that I've been dying to dive into. This summer, I think I read more than I had in a long time. Some titles that I really enjoyed reading this year were Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, The Last Summer of You and Me by Ann Brashares, Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos, and Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan.
Vacation
I've always been one
to love traveling and being on vacation in general. However, now that I had a job that allows me to be basically without responsibility for 2 full months, I value my vacations even more. This summer was one of the first in a long time that was truly a vacation; a relaxing and rejuvenating break from my everyday activities. I went to quite a few places this summer, all of which were absolutely amazing. Florida, Kent Island, Ocean City - all places that made this summer the best I've had in a really long time.At this time of year, I'm always reminded of a particularly cheesy Dashboard song, whose lyrics I will leave you with.
Hand out the window
Floatin' on air
Just a flip of the wrist
And I am wavin' you goodbye
Drive past the lifeguard stand
Where I sit around waiting for you to remember
As I drive
How the girls could turn to ghosts before your eyes
And the very dreams that led to them are keeping them from dying
And how the grace with which she walked into your life
Will stay with you in your steps,
And pace with you a while
So long, so long [x2]
The speaker in this door is blown
So nothing sounds quite right
Takin' my time, takin' this drive, wavin' this town goodbye,
And I drive this ocean road and remember
The small of your back
And the nape of your neck
I remember everything as I drive, wavin' this town goodbye
I remember
How the girls can turn to ghosts before your eyes
And the very dreams that led to them are keeping them from dying
And how the grace with which she walked into your life
Will stay with you in your steps,
Pace with you a while
So long, so long...
And I will leave under the cover
Of summer's kiss upon the sky
Like the stone face of your lover
Just before she says goodbye
I was certain that the season could be held between my arms
Well just as summer's hold is fleeting
I was here but now I'm gone...
I'm gone... I'm gone, I'm gone
I'm gone...
1 comment:
You're totally right. There is just a feeling that you get in the summer. And the food...always fresh veggies and fruits. I do, however, enjoy the feeling of fall, school starting, harvesty colors, Halloween, Thanksgiving, new school clothes...
Anywhoo...I'll miss summer, too!
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