What’s On Your Summer Checklist?

So here it is mid-July. You’re probably stuck, toiling away at work somewhere. Before the summer slips away, it’s time to take stock. What are your favorite things to do in the summer? Make a list now, before it’s too late. And make sure you do everything before that first nip in the air hits in late August (or September, if we get lucky in New England).

I have to confess: this isn’t my idea. I stole it from my friend: musician, humorist, and all-around creative recreationalist, Kenny Hogan. (Hey, instead of coming up with my own ideas for this blog, I need to go out and start checking off my own list. ) You can check out Kenny’s list here.

Here’s the RootsLiving list:

• Lobster and champagne (served at home or at a cottage on a small island in Maine). There’s no better combination to make you feel like you’re living large.
• A sit-down dinner outside in the yard with family and friends. (This is an upscale version of a cookout with real dishes, several courses — some made on the grill — and great wine.)
• A backyard hootenanny, with music supplied by friends who know how to play a guitar and sing. (This often happens after the sit-down dinner in the yard. Hey, most people with talent are used to singing for their supper.)
• A trip to Hampton Beach, NH. (Or anyplace on a beach near you that has a boardwalk with carnival games and is a great place to people-watch. Note: It’s a known fact that Hampton Beach has more people with tattoos per capita than any place in America.)
• Listening to a ballgame on an AM radio, preferably in a summer cottage without TV. But in a car traveling late at night is good too.
• Eating cold, fried chicken in the late afternoon or early evening on your favorite beach (mine is Good Harbor in Gloucester, Mass). There are no crowds then, plenty of room to park. And I have to confess, I often make things easy on myself by cooking up frozen Banquet fried chicken (Don’t tell Martha!).

• 

  Rowing a boat on a lake or a kayak in calm seas.

• Attending at least one outdoor concert, preferably a small venue where you can bring a picnic.
• Attending a minor league baseball game, where the ticket prices and concession stand prices are cheap, and it’s all about the kids, not the players’ egos.
• Sitting at a raw bar overlooking the ocean, eating the freshest oysters and clams and chasing it down with a cold beer.
• Picking and eating fresh tomatoes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Body-surfing on a beach with big waves.
• Playing bocce in the yard or on the beach.
• Making dinners with the bounty of the season: fresh seafood, greens, and fruits.
• Blowing off an item on my “work to-do” list to do one of these fun things. The summer is all about playing hooky.

Please comment below on some of the things that are on your summer checklist.

(Photos by Mark Micheli)