Friday, May 29, 2009

Sweet, Sweet Summertime...

The living is pretty damn easy right now, I tell you. Here's my summertime to-do list:
  • Ride my bike everywhere so much that the battery on my car actually dies from lack of use
  • Make every possible incarnation of a burger
  • Lay in the grass with Beeper and watch the clouds, naming what they look like
  • Sit on the backsteps and smell the moon flowers in bloom at sunset
  • Keep a steady stream of refridgerator pickles on hand at all times--see that recipe here
  • Pop open a cold bottle champagne in the back yard with friends everytime we get together--as the Europeans do all summer
  • Have a breakfast picnic, a lunch picnic and supper picnic
  • Go camping at a new State Park where I have never been...as well as camp again at the lovely Split Rock State Park on Lake Superior's north shore
  • Make homemade raspberry chocolate chip ice cream (and then smoosh a scoop between chocolate chip cookies)--see the recipe here
  • Eat dinner al fresco on the flagstone patio we put in, on the table Mr Beeper built, as much as the weather will permit
  • Visit the farmer's market weekly for more cucumbers, peppers, greens, corn and beans---and whatever else may strike our fancy and is in season
  • Go to the drive-in movie theater with Beeper in his jammies, some cold beer in the cooler, and a basket of treats
  • Eat tomatoes sun-warmed from the vine in our backfence kitchen garden with fresh mozzarella and basil and toasted pine nuts
  • Make some blubarb (blueberry + rhubarb) jam, as well as some raspberry-jalapeno jam from locally grown berries

What sort of plans do you have for summer?

7 comments:

Puglette said...

what a lovely list! do the pickles have a sweet and tangy flavor? kind of like bread and butter pickles? i am really interested in trying them.
thanks!
puglette
:o)

Holly said...

Yes--that is exactly what the pickles taste like--sweet and tangy--but SOOOO much better than those you buy in a jar...I think the white wine vinegar makes a load of difference....enjoy!

Andrew Slade said...

Camping at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is hard to beat! There are a bunch of other great campgrounds on and around the North Shore, not just state parks, but state forest, national forest...go for it!

Einfach{gut} said...

What a fantastic list! And we do drink a cold bottle of champagne everytime we meet with friends (even during winter!). Have fun, Sina

Holly said...

Sina--maybe I need to start in a new year-round tradition then?

Einfach{gut} said...

You definitely should! But I have to say that the german sparkling wine is so tasty and not nearly as expensive as champagne. Love it with strawberries! Cheers! Sina

Juddie said...

These photos capture the season so wonderfully, and your list makes me dream of travel .... I live in Melbourne in southern Australia and it's getting a bit chilly here now!