# Rites and rituals of summer - what are your favorite? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 8, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715 "2010-05-08T02:33:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/1 "2010-05-08T02:33:43Z")
Two of my favorite things that I only do in the summer is take casual walk and grill. The SO and I will go out for walks after the gym and dinner, commenting on landscaping and just people watching. I really try to get us out the door every night; it sets the summer apart from the rest of the year and gives me an extra dose of energy for the rest of the night. Grilling is pretty self-explanatory, and the SO really tries to get us to do it every weekend. As a former vegetarian, it’s the only meat he ever truly yearns for. Trimming corn (to prepare it for the grill) on the porch reminds me of shucking and trimming corn we were given by friends and patients by the boatload, bringing back those warm, fuzzy memories. Buying and potting annuals with my mother over Memorial Day weekend is something I look forward to all winter long. The end result always looks so cheery, and we get plenty of compliments. So, what are your favorite summertime rituals? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/2 "2010-05-08T02:47:15Z")
Beer gardens. There’s nothing like sitting outside on a mild summer night with friends, just relaxing in a patio area, getting served drinks and food. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/3 "2010-05-08T02:50:18Z")
Going out in the afternoon when it’s 110 out and bringing back a big bucket of Eegee’s frozen drink, half pina colada and half strawberry, of course, to a bunch of grateful coworkers or kids. ---
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/4 "2010-05-08T05:19:06Z")
Swimming in my grandpa’s pool every weekend. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/5 "2010-05-08T05:24:23Z")
Taking my kids to play in the creek all morning, followed by a shake from Big Al’s diner. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/6 "2010-05-08T05:37:45Z")
Going to the beach and walking it. Looking for shells and seeing all the little kids having fun. I don’t tan anymore but I put on my sunscreen and love to wiggle my toes in the sand and the smell of the ocean and the sound of the surf. I still like to build sandcastles even though they come out pretty bad. Looking in tidal pools has always fascinated me. All the critters that can live in one small pool like a mini ecosystem. Yep, The first beach day makes me feel like it’s summer. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/7 "2010-05-08T09:49:19Z")
SUMMER is my favorite. There are so many things to love about it my poor little fingers don’t have the ability to type them all 😃 Getting to take the dog for walks and to the (now thawed and dry) tennis courts or hockey rink (depending upon if the tennis courts are being used) for her to play with her basketball. Too bad the trails are still snowy and mushy though (probably a few just-woken-up bears wandering around too). Getting to plant my balcony garden; four hanging baskets, one wall basket, two big planters for sugar snap peas, and two or more other flower pots sitting about, (depending upon how overboard I go buying starters). I’m thinking of trying one of those topsy turvy planters for strawberries or peppers this year (anyone have any luck with these things?). CAN barely wait (sadly it’s still too cold at night to leave flowers out). ---
**Author:** ![qsecofr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/13edae/32.png) [@qsecofr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qsecofr)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/8 "2010-05-08T12:26:58Z")
Getting a frozen yogurt at Costco after shopping and eating it on the concrete ledge at the entrance and watching people. Scoping out what’s in their carts, girl watching, listening, talking, seeing who’s using the handicapped spots, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/9 "2010-05-08T12:47:31Z")
Turning on the A/C, closing all the shades, turning off the lights and waiting for late Fall? ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/10 "2010-05-08T15:08:43Z")
Un-winterizing the camper; Un-winterizing the boat. Our traditional dinner-and-a-show\* at the local launch ramp. The first trip out on the lake. The lazy afternoons when I get home from work, throw some beer into the cooler and head out for some skiing with the kids. Weekends at the state park. Our annual 4th of July trip to my folks. Loading the camper for the first trip of the year (usually in May). Planning and loading up for summer vacation. When we travel in our plane, flying at really high altitudes, so we can enjoy the cool air (it was 86F on the ground Wed afternoon, and we climbed up to where it was only 40F and used the heater:)) I could go on for pages… I love summertime. \*We get comfy either at a restaurant table overlooking the ramp, or lawn chairs in the adjoining park on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. It’s an all-day parade of Bubba and Chester bringing their boats out for the first time of the year and trying to start them. Arguments, cussing, frantic searches for the keys, and at least once, the “Holy shit, where’s the drain plug?” as Bubba frantically tries to keep his boat from sinking. It’s pure comedy gold, I tell ya. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/11 "2010-05-08T15:55:28Z")
Sitting on the deck in the sun reading all afternoon. Grilling, like the OP. Going to the beach. Biking in the woods. Sitting on the rocks by the lake with a bottle of wine and Mr. Athena. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/12 "2010-05-08T16:24:35Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > \*We get comfy either at a restaurant table overlooking the ramp, or lawn chairs in the adjoining park on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. It’s an all-day parade of Bubba and Chester bringing their boats out for the first time of the year and trying to start them. Arguments, cussing, frantic searches for the keys, and at least once, the “Holy shit, where’s the drain plug?” as Bubba frantically tries to keep his boat from sinking. It’s pure comedy gold, I tell ya. Hahaha this is just plain _mean_. Thanks for the idea. Once we get our boat out and running, I think I’ll go to the small Marina and watch it happen this year as well 😃 **Athena** jogged my memory of reading on the porch. I don’t have a porch, but my future MIL does. Before dinner, while the laundry is chugging along on a Saturday afternoon, the SO and I sit quietly and read for hours. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/13 "2010-05-08T16:50:03Z")
The back yard. Read n’ weed. Sitting out back for hours, with a stack of books and some beverages. Read for a bit, water plants, putter around, read some more, weed, read, relax. I try and spend as much time “out back” as possible once it’s warm enough. It’s quiet, and backs onto the woods, and I love it dearly. I get a plastic tub and put in sunscreen, books, notepad, pens, nail file, and other assorted stuff, and leave it out there. Summer stuff! Sometimes alcoholic beverages are involved, sometimes it’s just tea, sometimes cold pop. I will be doing that this afternoon, damned and blasted cold or not, because it’s going to be nice. It’s not summer until I’ve: got a mosquito bite swum in a lake eaten watermelon and corn on the cob watched stars at night taken a cool shower after work because I’m hot and uncomfortable had a cold beer (or two) after doing yard work bought this year’s batch of annuals and other plants ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/14 "2010-05-09T07:17:23Z")
Girls in sun dresses or less. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rites-and-rituals-of-summer-what-are-your-favorite/538715/15 "2010-05-09T15:44:34Z")
Gathering; Beach umbrella and stand, in carry bag. Soft sided small cooler bag. (contents; couple of sandwiches, couple tins soda pop, couple bottles of water, fresh fruit and some ice.) Also required; bag of crisps, some gummies. Fresh fruit, chips, and candy should change with each visit to the beach, over the course of the summer, you should be able to try lots of different crisps and sweets. Fresh fruit is whatever is fresh and in season, sometimes purchased on the roadside on the way to the beach. Beach bag; sarong, new magazine, current newspaper, pencil with eraser for the crossword, inflatable inner tube with foot pump, straw hat, sunscreen, plastic bags, (for acquired treasure), towel, pocket knife for fruit. Getting ready to spend a day at the beach is definitely my favorite summer ritual! Bonus points if bbq ready ribs are marinating, in the fridge, awaiting your return.