By Liz, enjoying the onset of warm weather
We’re celebrating the approach of summer this month, and last week we talked about our favorite summertime activities as a kid. This week I want to know: What about now? How are we all spending our summers as an adult? Have our favorite activities changed? Any big plans this year?
For me, I’m not still riding my bike around the neighborhood pretending to be a superhero, but as soon as I put air in my tires I’ll probably still be riding it. And the beach – definitely the beach. If you need me, that’s where I’ll be.
Wickeds, what about you all?
Sherry: We are traveling some this summer, but it definitely isn’t our usual summer! We’re driving out to Colorado to attend an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. Our Australian friend, Christine, has a son playing in the tournament. We enjoyed seeing him play last year in Ohio. Then we hope to visit friends from the military in the area and friends in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Jessie: That sounds like fun, Sherry! I remember hearing how much you enjoyed watching the game last year! As for me, I plan to spend time hiking with my son, working while listening to music in the screen house, and sipping espresso tonics. We are doing a major remodel of our house at the beach so I will spend time near the ocean off and on, but not in the usual way. If I am lucky I will make it out to Utah to visit one of my sons. I am also writing the eigh
Julie: I love that the Harris family have become Ultimate Frisbee fans! And drinking espresso tonics sitting in a screen house sounds lovely. I started the summer season by taking last week off, which gave me time to ponder this question. Slowing down in the summer, taking walks, sitting outside to dine, eating lots of the summer fruits and veggies, and sitting on my sister’s back deck and laughing are part of the plans. I’ve also got a few events planned, but I try not to think too far into the future. I plan on enjoying every day.
Barb: I have a book due July 1, so the summer won’t start for me until then. But, shortly after that, we have friends coming for a few days (Maine is a great place for house guests), and then my granddaughter Viola for 10 days. While she’s here we’ll stay in Boothbay Harbor for a few days, since I have a couple of speaking gigs in the area. Then in August will be our week at the Jersey shore with our whole family and my brother’s family. My parents started this tradition and we’ve had a good run. Most of all I am going to love not having a deadline looming.
Edith/Maddie: Beach and relaxing sound great to me! One of the things I love most about summer is local fruits and vegetables, so I’ll be pottering in my back yard veggie garden and diving into local blueberries and sweet corn the minute they’re available at the farm store. Reading on the deck with a G&T is also a favorite way to relax. Hugh and I have reserved a week in Maine in July. Relaxing, spending time with his cousin up there, and exploring museums and brewpubs are on the agenda. Plus writing. Always writing.
Readers, how are you spending your summer? Let us know in the comments!
Concerts and travelling. Amanda Marshall, Ann Wilson, Ottawa Jazzfest (for the first time since it started many years ago, I’m not going to Ottawa Bluesfest). At the end of August I’m going to Bouchercon in San Diego (hope to see The Wickeds there). The week before I’m going to Los Angeles. And movies. But I always go to movies.
Love this, Elaine! Will definitely see you at B’Con 🙂
Yay!
Camping, gardening, and savoring every warm moment!
I’ve never been a camper but agree on the savoring every warm moment!
I’m in Charleston, South Carolina and enjoying the sites and the food. Then in August I’m headed to San Diego.
Love it, Dru!
Well, summers as an adult means working so automatically everything is different from when I was a kid.
I’m not going to be doing much in the summer beyond working. Plus mowing the lawn. The only activity I have planned is next week. I’ll be going to an in-store signing for a band I like and the next night seeing them in concert.
But since the bills need to be paid, I don’t see much else happening by way of out of the house entertainment.
Have fun at the concert and meeting the band! I hope you can take some more time for yourself this summer.
Lots of outdoor concerts are on the schedule in my family. It also headed for Sleuthfest next month. Fun times ahead!
Nice! I haven’t been to Sleuthfest in so long – need to get it back on the rotation.
I’m spending a lot of summer working. But our sunroom down at the Cottage is complete, the patio is almost complete, and I bought one of those Solo Stove portable fire pits for The Hubby for Father’s Day. The goal is to have the place ready for guests by the end of August – just in time for a 50th birthday bash with my best friend (who turned 50 this spring).
But I am going to spend a week with my sister and nephew at the end of the month up near Buffalo. I imagine there might be a trip to the beach in there if the weather cooperates – he loves the lake!
Fun, Liz! Enjoy!
Grandchildren, gardening and gatherings on the patio. No long distance traveling in the plans but we do day trips. We are situated such that great adventures are not more than an hour away.
My parents used to take us on tons of day trips when I was a kid. Fun way to pass the summer!
Oh, summer! Looking forward to hikes in the woods and get togethers with friends.
Same, Kait!
We love being at home and that’s a good thing come summer. If you put in all the work to have a garden and flowers, they are like live stock to a rancher and crops to a farmer – they have to be tended to with no long stretches of time off. In the heat of the summer, that often means watering along with the weeding, picking and enjoying the brilliant colors. That being said means that we only take 1-2 days little getaways during the summer. We took a longer trip right after planting and before summer kicked into gear. We have another trip planned in September when things literally are starting to die down. Honestly think folks get to thinking about a “vacation” when they are over worked, tired of the every day routine and start dreaming about where they could be over where they are. As for us, being retired, we do what we want, when we want and enjoy what we are doing. Guess that means the dreaming about vacation takes on a whole new meaning. Since building our dream home in what we consider our vacation destination turned into where we live, getting away on vacation isn’t as strong of a desire as it once was. Oh we still love exploring other parts of the country and seeing new sights and we do once or twice a year, they just don’t usually fall in the middle of summer – by our choice. Instead, we will enjoy the critters, tend to our gardens (veggie and flower) and enjoy those fresh maters on a BLT, pimento cheese on freshly picked banana peppers or French fried cauliflower for a side dish from garden to table in just a matter of minutes. We are blessed with the tastes and sights of summer right her at home. Relaxation can take place righton the front porch.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
I love that, Kay – and you are so right. Feeling that more now than ever living at the beach – I can relax on my deck or right across the street and feel like I’m at a resort.
All your activities are so much fun! We are always in a joyful vacation mood, and summer means more work outdoors on our ranch, and then poolside reading and listening to music, or to birds singing as a soundtrack. I am very busy with my travel business, as I have multiple clients traveling, or about to travel, so I have to be attentive to all details…tracking flights, weather and also world events. I love research, so I do research for my travel business as well as for my book club. I research and share facts mentioned in the books that we currently read. Life is wonderful, and I hope life is wonderful for you as well! Luis at ole dot travel
Love it, Luis! You just sound happy 🙂
House renovations going on here in Florida so things are somewhat messed up. Working every day on Book#14 in the Witch City series. We’ll be heading to New England to see both of our families and doing some Salem historical research in August, then going to Novelists Inc. Conference at St. Pete Beach in September.
Fun, Carol! Maybe I’ll see you in Salem 😉
Yes! Another ultimate Frisbee convert!!!!
Sadly, I’m not playing ultimate Frisbee this summer. I’ve gotten too old and slow (among other issues with the league I used to play with). I’m hoping to get out and paddle board some this summer, once my shoulder heals up.
Honestly, summer, as much as I still love it, doesn’t feel that different from any other season for me any more. I work. I read. I don’t have a life where things change seasonally any more, like when my life revolved around a school year.
Having said that, I am taking a trip next weekend to visit a friend, so that long weekend will be fun.
Awesome, Mark – paddle boarding sounds fun!
Not as much travel as in the past because hubby isn’t up to it, but we still go for long drives in gorgeous Lancaster and surrounding counties. Also, our daughter now lives nearby so she and I do interesting things together as her work schedule allows. AND, I finally got (after 40 years!) a Twin Oaks hammock and am just loving swinging in it on our covered patio. I do as much yard work as I am able and, of course, lots of reading – now in the hammock!
Oooh, a hammock sounds heavenly!
I am trying to become comfortable with my wheelchair, ramp and van. I have taken the wheelchair off the ramp a few times. It can be scary. I am working on transferring from the wheelchair into the driver’s seat. It is getting better as long as I am not too tired. I am also reading ARC’s for authors. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
Heading off to a cruise for a week to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Also, plan on getting our deck rebuilt and having a friend over for a week early in August. Other than that I plan on staying home and doing alot of reading and relaxing on the new deck.
That sounds like such fun! Enjoy your summer, everyone!
I will be doing a lot of reading, because that is my favorite way to relax. But I am also taking a trip to the Hocking Hills Waterfalls in Ohio with an “all girls” trip. Five generations from my family, starting with my mother, myself, my daughters and daughter-in-law, granddaughters and one great-granddaughter. Looking so forward to being with the strong women in my family from age 89 down to 2 years old.
Missing my great grand nephew’s 1st birthday party and my sister’s 40th wedding anniversary this year. They are both in Flower Mound, Texas a week apart. I am not in the mood to fly in the summer rush from Atlanta and live with the heat in Texas for a week and not be able to really visit. Just staying home and relaxing. Maybe in October, I will go to Texas (we are native Texans). Hubby Dearest won’t go. We used to travel a lot–to the Keys for 13 years, NOLA for 8 years or more and 5 years in the 1970s, San Francisco, and so much more. But we are getting older and it is harder and these times are getting strange.