An easy, light and breezy RevGalBlogPals Friday Five this week -- name our five favorite things about summer.
1. The light. I covet the sunlight of summer all year long...waking up in the morning light only to discover that it's 6:00 a.m., then working and playing hard all day in anticipation of the sunset, only to realize that it's now bedtime.
2. The food. I'm sorry, but wintertime's styrofoam-flavored out-of-season vegetables imported from God knows where can never compare to a sun-ripened berry just off the vine, or a fresh cob of corn five minutes from stalk to steaming pot, or a juicy tomato pilfered from the garden at midday.
3. The out-of-doors. As pretty and as exhilarating as a winter day can be -- most of us can only take so much of it outside. Not so during the summer. (Especially for those of us with shady patios or porches.)
4. The evenings. One of our favorite things to do this time of year is head out on a mini road trip after supper -- just drive down country roads where the trees meet overhead, watch the farmers finishing up their haying for the day, enjoy the colors of sundown. Or we sit on the patio with some iced tea, or wine, and review the day.
5. The water. This is ironic coming from a non-swimmer -- but I love the water. I love still-fishing on the edge of a lake, listening to the waves wash up on the beach; I love rivers in the summer, with the lush riparian flora and an occasional flash of fish.
Bonus: Thing I don't like about summer: Apart from the bittersweetness of the solstice itself -- it all goes downhill from here, lightwise, until the end of December -- I never feel comfortable in summer clothing; it always feels too binding, even in khaki shorts and oversized T-shirts.
Another bonus: Best ad campaign ever: Every time I see a "Pure Michigan" travel ad on TV I want to drop everything and head up north to Crystal Lake or the Leelanau or Taquamenon Falls. I was delighted to see these running in New York when we stayed with The Kids. Please, out-of-staters -- we need hybrid vigor and skills here; consider relocating; or at least visit and spend some money:
8 comments:
On the three season garden. Now, don't plant before Memorial Day. But, plant perennials or bulbs that bloom in the spring. You can plant pansies, too. (Trying to remember what blooms in the spring. In Cleveland we had scillia, beautiful blue flowers that spread everywhere, tiger lillies, little tiny yellow with brown spots). I didn't garden when I was in Michigan.
I had a friend with a house in Crystal Lake. I visited her a couple of times and loved it. That part of MI is truly lovely.
I love northern Michigan - have spent several summers there, hiking, climbing dunes, and just enjoying!
I love 4:00 - 7:00 pm in summer, and I don't want to be in cooking. We tend to eat late in summer, but usually too late to eat outside because of the bugs. :-(
I've seen those ads too, Very Good.
I love the reflection of trees on the water. I think I'll post a pic I took recently.
Crystal Lake, the Dunes area and the rest of the Leelanau Peninsula are our favorite places in the world...honestly, if we won the Lotto and had the opportunity to move there, we'd do it in a New York minute; although I think part of the charm is in the relative brevity of our visits.
I love the light, too. As a native Virginian, I took sunshine for granted until I moved to Maine!
Yes, I love the light, too. The long days of light.
The evenings sounds lovely. Wish I could do that.
We're planning to visit Pure Michigan for a few days in August. We want to bring the kids to the Henry Ford Museum and to Frankenmuth.
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