I have always loved summer.   Growing up in California it meant long days by the pool or at the beach, tanning contests (yes, NOW I wear sunscreen) and of course, all sorts of treats.  Now, being a “grown-up” (defined by age at least), summers are very different.  To quote my husband, “Summer is for kids.” He normally says this with a long sigh and a shake of his head.  To that comment I usually come back with, “No! I love summer!”  But today, I am feeling a little more like my husband.  Wondering where all the magic of summer went…

Summer was magic.  I would ditch my shoes and go barefoot as much as possible.  My goal? To be the one kid in the neighborhood that didn’t have to run across the super-heated asphalt.  Along with my compulsion to have soles of steel, I was obsessed with the summer time foods.  Really, what is better than sitting in the shade with your friends barefoot,  eating a Popsicle (lime please) and knowing that the day was yours?  Or how about the campfires with roasted marshmallows and s’mores?  I liked my marshmallow almost burnt to a crisp and would wait to eat my s’more until the chocolate started melting down my hand. Then and only then was it perfect.

I also loved our beach picnics.  Mom would pile us into the cars and drive my sisters and I to the beach.  As much as I loved the sand and water, I loved the lunch.  Bologna sandwiches on soft wheat bread with mayonnaise, yellow mustard and sweet relish.  The sand gritting between my teeth as I ate it was just a bonus! As was the slight taste of the Coppertone lotion that had transferred from my hands to the bread. And always on the way home, Mom would stop at a fast food place and we would get french fries and chocolate shakes.  Somehow that cool creaminess of the shake mixed with the hot saltiness of the fries made you forget that you had sand in your bathing suit and it was driving you crazy.

Summer also meant that we would eat dinner outside.  Mom would set the patio table and then we would all help bringing out the food.  Outdoor meals invariably had super sweet corn on the cob, watermelon slices and some sort of grilled meat.  I remember thinking how different it was to eat outside and how everything seemed to taste better.  Funny, I feel the same way now. Let me dine outside and more than likely EVERYTHING will be wonderful.

So now, I sit in an air conditioned office, trying to meet deadlines and dreaming of the unbridled freedom of the summers past.  But I have decided to Carpe Summer!  Tonight, when I get home, I will remove my shoes,, grab a Popsicle and sit outside on our patio to eat it.  I will stay out long enough to watch the blue sky fade into deep blue and then to black.  Once I have the starry skies, I just might fire-up the grill and make a s’more.  After all, Summer shouldn’t be just for kids.