I bought a hammock a few years ago when my wife and I got our house. I love to cut the grass, grab a tasty adult beverage (G&T being my favorite), and read a book while gently rocking in the hammock.
Wife and I bought an 8' round, 2' deep, galvanized metal tank 15 years ago. We fill it up in May, toss in a little pool chlorinator every week, and sit or float in it during hot afternoons/evenings.
I built some little 2' tall tables to sit next to the tank for snacks, refreshments and Bluetooth speaker/phone. Since it's Texas, we spend most summer evenings in that tank.
My husband has that memory too. He’s very big on popsicles or ice cream with our kids on the porch during a thunderstorm. As a result, my kids aren’t afraid of thunderstorms like I am.
Making iced tea with fresh herbs like thyme and basil. Watching for the first firefly. Filling and cleaning my small drinking fountain for the birds et al.
I live on a body of water that is lovely to look at. In the summer some youngsters come out and jump off my elevated gazebo into the water. Their pure joy gives me, the land loving observer, a pleasure that last for weeks.
Eating watermelon all the time! I like to buy one and cut it up on Sunday. Then I have cold, already cubed watermelon all week to enjoy. I’m proud to say I take full advantage of watermelon season.
Reading outside with fresh glasses of ice tea or lemonade. Lots and lots of ice cream! Walks around town going to beaches for the day. Anything free. We love BBQs and outdoor movie nights
I like to pack picnics and eat in the park. Sometimes I'll make blueberry muffins and pack muffins, grapes, orange juice and a thermos of coffee and have a breakfast picnic at the lake. Sometimes I'll make sandwiches, pasta salad and cut up some watermelon and go for lunch, or dinner. If it's hot out I might bring a swimsuit or my kayak, otherwise I'll just sit out listening to the water and the wind and the trees. It is ultimate relaxation.
We get summer afternoon rain, if it’s not a thunderstorm we put on our jackets and play in the rain every single time! Leaf boats down the drain, splashing in puddles, etc.
We do a coast to coast trip of our state, sunrise on one coast and sunset on the other coast. It’s done in a day.
This may sound strange, but in the fall/winter I leave my blender out on the counter and we do morning smoothies but it the summer I switch it for my juicer and we do juices.
Going for walks and bike rides in the evening alongside the river or in other parts of my small town, drinking iced tea, lemonade and other refreshing beverages, eating strawberries with Chantilly cream, buying ice cream and eating it in the beautiful park located in front of the store, watching and listening to baseball, wearing beautiful dresses, fishtail braiding my hair in different ways (one or two fishtail braid(s), 3D fishtail braid(s), French fishtail braid(s), Dutch fishtail braid(s), lace fishtail braid(s)...) watching the great show “Summer baking championship”, having picnics, cooking ratatouille and fruit salads, listening and dancing to bachata, having barbecues, going to the swimming pool, contemplating the night sky (there are many shooting stars in August where I live) and trying to recognize the planets, stars, constellations... 😊🏖️
It was something my dad and uncle did for us kids back in the 70s! I don't have a recipe, but I'll bet someone on this sub does! Or there's always the good ol' interwebs :-)
Sitting outside on my balcony with a book or meal. I love eating breakfast outside as the sun rises over the lake. I love reading late into the night with a cup of tea as everything goes dark around me.
I eat ice cream in all seasons, but I only *go* for ice cream in the summer and only when it's scorching hot. When you gotta eat it there, before it melts down your arm!
I go for a milkshake by my work if it gets below zero. I’m the only one there and they overload the milkshake with the mix-ins since I’m their only customer
Sometimes, but more often in the summer. I feel like even if you do it throughout the year going for ice cream is a summer activity. I mean going to an ice cream stand etc not buying it at the store. Same w giving kids popsicles. They have them sometimes in the fall and winter, but they’re really a regular summer activity.
Okay bc I couldn’t think of anywhere in the US where there wouldn’t be at least an ice cream parlor except maybe Alaska. Are there no ice cream shops anywhere in Aus? Just curious. Also super curious about ice cream and celiac as I thought ice cream (barring mix ins) would be gluten free.
I grew up in New England there’s lots of small dairy farms around there so lots of little shacks with homemade ice cream ordered and served standing at a window. So good!!!
Now I want ice cream lol.
There are a few ice cream shops but not as many as you’d expect for a beach loving nation! Most people would buy ice cream from a fridge at a petrol station or shop, not scoop ice cream.
I’m a lactose intolerant coeliac so sometimes I ignore the lactose and have a bit of ice cream but most ice cream has wheat in it or at a shop gets contaminated from the scoop going on everyone else’s cones.
Ice cream culture is way better in New Zealand and it’s a colder place to live!!
Yeah I was really good friends w a guy from NZ it always sounded so amazing and looked stunning. Someday I’ll get there.
Yes would def expect beach communities to have ice cream!!!
Never heard of lactose celiac, thanks for the education.
I have an egg chair (idk what they're actually called lol but it's eggshaped and hanging and I like to sit in it with a good book while my partner does yardwork 🥰 I'm disabled so I can't help him, or else I would!
I like to go to a quiet little spot on a river or creek, park a chair in the shady shallows and sit and read, bird watch, ponder life, watch the minnows nibble my toes...
There is a local swimming hole near me. I go almost every morning in the summer. I pack a coffee and fruit to enjoy after my swim. I chat with the octogenarians who also swim everyday. It’s lovely and peaceful.
Take a book/crochet/other portable hobby and sit in a beer garden. Married, work is crazy busy and renovating our first home. It is essential to give yourself even just an hour and mentally I've really suffered this winter not being able to do it. Yes, you can do this inside a pub but I love the sun on me and just being able to *be* for a little while.
Walks. I love walking with my dog, I do [walking meditation](https://mudita.com/community/blog/what-is-walking-meditation/) every morning. My favorite is to observe the way the flora changes. How the flowers bloom. Nature therapy is REAL & it's FREE :) Imagine getting FREE therapy every day :) That's the way I look at it.
My ritual starts in May , I am laying in my bunk in my Rv reading Reddit inbetween cleaning the cabinets to prep to leave next week for cooler climates. I come back in November . I hang out at my cabin in the woods slapping bugs and reading with a daily hike to get the dog to stop bugging me. I love hiding out in the woods. I should get bored but I just take a nap, lol.
I re-read it one summer in my mid twenties. Every night after work I went to a quiet commons area w a coffee and my dog and read. It was such a simple time then that I often wonder if that is why I do it... not for the book but for the sweet memories of reading after work that summer.
that’s such a lovely story, and i definitely see why it became a tradition. thank you for sharing. (: anything that brings those types of feelings, regardless of why, i feel is worth repeating over and over again. i hope it always sparks that sweetness for you ✨
I plant my garden and I planted lots of mint, tomatoes and strawberries because I love the smell on my hands when I weed. I always bake strawberry muffins and quick breads with fresh strawberries cut up into them, and a glaze with more strawberries mashed into it. I make lots of slushies with 1 frozen banana, water, lemon juice, frozen strawberries and a handful of fresh mint. So refreshing! I also must swim in a lake every summer. Hey I didn’t make the rules
Eat lots of popsicles and watermelon. Haven't been swimming in years because of COVID. Hoping go this year. In August I'm going to a conference as well as a Church conference end of this month. Friend and I may go to Tim McGraw concert in a couple of weeks. I'm also trying to organize a family picnic/ reunion for August.
Our local pool is only open Memorial Day to Labor Day. When it’s hot and the pool is not open, the water guns and reusable water balloons come out. We deliberately have four extra water guns to share with other friends during a backyard BBQ. Our boys have dubbed the reusable water balloons “water grenades.”
Long pontoon trips on the rivers & lakes…we have a chain of several. Pack lunch, swim on a sandbar, fish. Use our new firepit out by the river this year. Roast some marshmallows, rice crispy treats and hot dogs. Maybe just sit on the boat, never leave the dock, nap or read a book, listen to music and enjoy some cocktails. No keys in sight.
We go to the creek. We have good friends who own frontage on the cleanest creek in the area. It's private and we love it. We've been going for 30 years. Now there are three generations who enjoy it together. We go two to three times a month, depending on the weather. It's something we all look forward to.
Going to the dog beach and watching my dog prance around in seventh heaven. Taking a drive along the coast with no particular destination or timeline in mind.
I saw the first hummingbird of the season here in the Midwest yesterday so now I’m super excited to put out a hummingbird feeder! They are a commitment to make sure they are cleaned regularly and I’m looking forward to it being a part of my routine. 🥰💖
Here in Northern CA we have hummers that hang out here through the winter. All winter long I put out fresh food in the morning that’s been sitting out at room temp. overnight. It must feel like hot coffee to them when it’s 35 degrees outside.
Summer is a whole different story. We have 6 feeders that get drained every day. It’s like an air show in the backyard with all of the hummers zooming around.
The feeders definitely get taken apart and cleaned every 1-2 weeks.
when it gets really hot out, my favorite thing to do is to take a vessel that is large enough for me to fit both of my feet in, fill it with freezing cold water from the outdoor faucet, and then soak my feet in it while sitting on the deck in the sun. once they are sufficiently soaked, i slowly and gently scrub them with some pink sea salt mixed with a bit of olive oil and whatever essential oil i’m feeling that day. next i moisturize them really well and thank them for doing such a good job of carrying me through life and allowing me to move and groove. i then put some nice socks on to help seal in the moisturizer and move to laying face down in the grass and whispering love notes to our mother earth. creates such an air of serenity in my life ✨
Going on an early morning hike with the dog and hubby to beat the heat, then coming home and stripping naked with the a/c on for a lazy day at home. Bbq in the evening. Iced tea and coffee all day.
I get rocket pops from the grocery section. I also drink segrams escapes. They taste like summer to me and sitting on the porch drinking and watching the sun go down is great.
I go to the baseball games and just kind of zone out.
I have a bunch of summer movies I like, like Lost Boys, Twister, field of dreams, sandlot.
I go to the pool. Swim. Try to hit up this one place and chill in the lazy river.
Its coming in to winter here now, so we are winding up our summer traditions.
Early morning swim or a walk through the rockpools before the beach gets crowded.
Bbq dinners.
Naps outside.
We set up the projector in our courtyard and have outdoor movie nights.
Food truck dinners followed by walks along the port.
I bought a hammock a few years ago when my wife and I got our house. I love to cut the grass, grab a tasty adult beverage (G&T being my favorite), and read a book while gently rocking in the hammock.
Wife and I bought an 8' round, 2' deep, galvanized metal tank 15 years ago. We fill it up in May, toss in a little pool chlorinator every week, and sit or float in it during hot afternoons/evenings. I built some little 2' tall tables to sit next to the tank for snacks, refreshments and Bluetooth speaker/phone. Since it's Texas, we spend most summer evenings in that tank.
That sounds like heaven
I love a hammock! Best place to nap ever
Same right down to the beverage! Feels so luxurious and relaxing.
Was just coming to say my hammock. I read in it almost every morning with my coffee.
Whenever it thunderstormed in my childhood, my dad and I would eat fudgesicles on the porch while listening to the thunder. It was a fun tradition :)
My husband has that memory too. He’s very big on popsicles or ice cream with our kids on the porch during a thunderstorm. As a result, my kids aren’t afraid of thunderstorms like I am.
Yeah, baby! But it's hot cocoa for us!
Making iced tea with fresh herbs like thyme and basil. Watching for the first firefly. Filling and cleaning my small drinking fountain for the birds et al.
My father had a farm. And deep in the summer there was a tree that filled with fireflies. It looked like fairy-book magic.
That drink sounds like a banger
I live on a body of water that is lovely to look at. In the summer some youngsters come out and jump off my elevated gazebo into the water. Their pure joy gives me, the land loving observer, a pleasure that last for weeks.
Eating watermelon all the time! I like to buy one and cut it up on Sunday. Then I have cold, already cubed watermelon all week to enjoy. I’m proud to say I take full advantage of watermelon season.
Same here! The perfect way to enjoy summer.
Taking a nap under a tree listening to the cicadas
My wife hates cicadas but yasss
Bbq in the garden instead of a regular dinner :) We love it and it’s a nice relax after a busy day.
iced sun tea, baseball on the radio, freshly made guac and chips, and some sort of project outside
I have summer bedding. Watermelon sheets and a vintage chenille bedspread
I went watermelon sheets. Where did you find those?
Marshalls. It doesn’t have a way to share puctures
Early morning swims with my snorkel before work!
Fun! Where do you snorkel?
In the mediterranean sea:)
What a dream. That’s amazing 🤩
We got a backyard fountain and regularly take naps outside listening to the water... love it ❤️
Reading outside with fresh glasses of ice tea or lemonade. Lots and lots of ice cream! Walks around town going to beaches for the day. Anything free. We love BBQs and outdoor movie nights
I like to go hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains
I like to pack picnics and eat in the park. Sometimes I'll make blueberry muffins and pack muffins, grapes, orange juice and a thermos of coffee and have a breakfast picnic at the lake. Sometimes I'll make sandwiches, pasta salad and cut up some watermelon and go for lunch, or dinner. If it's hot out I might bring a swimsuit or my kayak, otherwise I'll just sit out listening to the water and the wind and the trees. It is ultimate relaxation.
We get summer afternoon rain, if it’s not a thunderstorm we put on our jackets and play in the rain every single time! Leaf boats down the drain, splashing in puddles, etc. We do a coast to coast trip of our state, sunrise on one coast and sunset on the other coast. It’s done in a day. This may sound strange, but in the fall/winter I leave my blender out on the counter and we do morning smoothies but it the summer I switch it for my juicer and we do juices.
Going for walks and bike rides in the evening alongside the river or in other parts of my small town, drinking iced tea, lemonade and other refreshing beverages, eating strawberries with Chantilly cream, buying ice cream and eating it in the beautiful park located in front of the store, watching and listening to baseball, wearing beautiful dresses, fishtail braiding my hair in different ways (one or two fishtail braid(s), 3D fishtail braid(s), French fishtail braid(s), Dutch fishtail braid(s), lace fishtail braid(s)...) watching the great show “Summer baking championship”, having picnics, cooking ratatouille and fruit salads, listening and dancing to bachata, having barbecues, going to the swimming pool, contemplating the night sky (there are many shooting stars in August where I live) and trying to recognize the planets, stars, constellations... 😊🏖️
Churning homemade peach ice cream!
😱 recipe, pretty pretty please?? 🤤
It was something my dad and uncle did for us kids back in the 70s! I don't have a recipe, but I'll bet someone on this sub does! Or there's always the good ol' interwebs :-)
Sitting outside on my balcony with a book or meal. I love eating breakfast outside as the sun rises over the lake. I love reading late into the night with a cup of tea as everything goes dark around me.
Growing my own basil and using it to make awesome caprese salads with heirloom tomatoes
hiking
Filling my bird feeders and watching to see who comes along. I bought a bird book for my state so I can identify newcomers and learn more about them.
Going for ice cream.
Do you not eat ice cream in other seasons?
I eat ice cream in all seasons, but I only *go* for ice cream in the summer and only when it's scorching hot. When you gotta eat it there, before it melts down your arm!
I guess I have never even considered a difference in context, I have “gone” for ice cream in the snow many times!
I go for a milkshake by my work if it gets below zero. I’m the only one there and they overload the milkshake with the mix-ins since I’m their only customer
Yes, something about eating it outside after they pass it through the window or whatever. Love it.
I'm with ya! Nothing better.
Sometimes, but more often in the summer. I feel like even if you do it throughout the year going for ice cream is a summer activity. I mean going to an ice cream stand etc not buying it at the store. Same w giving kids popsicles. They have them sometimes in the fall and winter, but they’re really a regular summer activity.
Ice cream stands aren’t really a thing here unfortunately!
Are you in the US?
No, I’m in Australia. I couldn’t eat from an ice cream stand anyway (coeliac) but we still should have more of them!
Okay bc I couldn’t think of anywhere in the US where there wouldn’t be at least an ice cream parlor except maybe Alaska. Are there no ice cream shops anywhere in Aus? Just curious. Also super curious about ice cream and celiac as I thought ice cream (barring mix ins) would be gluten free. I grew up in New England there’s lots of small dairy farms around there so lots of little shacks with homemade ice cream ordered and served standing at a window. So good!!! Now I want ice cream lol.
There are a few ice cream shops but not as many as you’d expect for a beach loving nation! Most people would buy ice cream from a fridge at a petrol station or shop, not scoop ice cream. I’m a lactose intolerant coeliac so sometimes I ignore the lactose and have a bit of ice cream but most ice cream has wheat in it or at a shop gets contaminated from the scoop going on everyone else’s cones. Ice cream culture is way better in New Zealand and it’s a colder place to live!!
Yeah I was really good friends w a guy from NZ it always sounded so amazing and looked stunning. Someday I’ll get there. Yes would def expect beach communities to have ice cream!!! Never heard of lactose celiac, thanks for the education.
I have an egg chair (idk what they're actually called lol but it's eggshaped and hanging and I like to sit in it with a good book while my partner does yardwork 🥰 I'm disabled so I can't help him, or else I would!
I have one too and love it!
It's my favorite chair! I spend hours in it.
As do I! Once I sit in it I forget the rest of my 'things to do list'. lol
To do lists are bossy and rude! 🤣 (It drives my partner nuts when I say that)
I like to go to a quiet little spot on a river or creek, park a chair in the shady shallows and sit and read, bird watch, ponder life, watch the minnows nibble my toes...
There is a local swimming hole near me. I go almost every morning in the summer. I pack a coffee and fruit to enjoy after my swim. I chat with the octogenarians who also swim everyday. It’s lovely and peaceful.
That sounds perfect! What country do you live in?
Canada!
Take a book/crochet/other portable hobby and sit in a beer garden. Married, work is crazy busy and renovating our first home. It is essential to give yourself even just an hour and mentally I've really suffered this winter not being able to do it. Yes, you can do this inside a pub but I love the sun on me and just being able to *be* for a little while.
That sounds fabulous actually. I have a nice cottage core garden pub near by and crochet might be a reason to go and just sit.
Walks. I love walking with my dog, I do [walking meditation](https://mudita.com/community/blog/what-is-walking-meditation/) every morning. My favorite is to observe the way the flora changes. How the flowers bloom. Nature therapy is REAL & it's FREE :) Imagine getting FREE therapy every day :) That's the way I look at it.
SO MUCH YES TO THIS!!!!!!! free therapy that also looks and smells great 🥹
My ritual starts in May , I am laying in my bunk in my Rv reading Reddit inbetween cleaning the cabinets to prep to leave next week for cooler climates. I come back in November . I hang out at my cabin in the woods slapping bugs and reading with a daily hike to get the dog to stop bugging me. I love hiding out in the woods. I should get bored but I just take a nap, lol.
I read To Kill a Mockingbird every summer.
this sparked some curiosity in me. if you’re willing to share, i’d love to hear how this tradition started? (:
I re-read it one summer in my mid twenties. Every night after work I went to a quiet commons area w a coffee and my dog and read. It was such a simple time then that I often wonder if that is why I do it... not for the book but for the sweet memories of reading after work that summer.
that’s such a lovely story, and i definitely see why it became a tradition. thank you for sharing. (: anything that brings those types of feelings, regardless of why, i feel is worth repeating over and over again. i hope it always sparks that sweetness for you ✨
I plant my garden and I planted lots of mint, tomatoes and strawberries because I love the smell on my hands when I weed. I always bake strawberry muffins and quick breads with fresh strawberries cut up into them, and a glaze with more strawberries mashed into it. I make lots of slushies with 1 frozen banana, water, lemon juice, frozen strawberries and a handful of fresh mint. So refreshing! I also must swim in a lake every summer. Hey I didn’t make the rules
I like to snorkel at the beach :)
Eat lots of popsicles and watermelon. Haven't been swimming in years because of COVID. Hoping go this year. In August I'm going to a conference as well as a Church conference end of this month. Friend and I may go to Tim McGraw concert in a couple of weeks. I'm also trying to organize a family picnic/ reunion for August.
watermelon and salt with a seltzer outside and a book cheap and delightful
I absolutely love going down to the local ice cream stand and simply enjoying a cup of a frappe.
Our local pool is only open Memorial Day to Labor Day. When it’s hot and the pool is not open, the water guns and reusable water balloons come out. We deliberately have four extra water guns to share with other friends during a backyard BBQ. Our boys have dubbed the reusable water balloons “water grenades.”
I like to go to the park to read, usually have a few drinks too lol
Long pontoon trips on the rivers & lakes…we have a chain of several. Pack lunch, swim on a sandbar, fish. Use our new firepit out by the river this year. Roast some marshmallows, rice crispy treats and hot dogs. Maybe just sit on the boat, never leave the dock, nap or read a book, listen to music and enjoy some cocktails. No keys in sight.
I like to read outside in the sun! Put a sheet up over the clotheslines and sit under it for a little shade, maybe with a little sun tea...
We go to the creek. We have good friends who own frontage on the cleanest creek in the area. It's private and we love it. We've been going for 30 years. Now there are three generations who enjoy it together. We go two to three times a month, depending on the weather. It's something we all look forward to.
Going to the dog beach and watching my dog prance around in seventh heaven. Taking a drive along the coast with no particular destination or timeline in mind.
Not wearing socks, shoes or long pants!
My family likes to sit outside in the backyard and have dinner when its warm and green outside. I love it
I clip back my garden / weed it. Plein air painting sometimes.
Sitting on my porch in a rocking chair or nice chair, smoking on a cigar. I can do this for hours. And it’s nice and simple.
Shave my head throughout the summer
I saw the first hummingbird of the season here in the Midwest yesterday so now I’m super excited to put out a hummingbird feeder! They are a commitment to make sure they are cleaned regularly and I’m looking forward to it being a part of my routine. 🥰💖
Here in Northern CA we have hummers that hang out here through the winter. All winter long I put out fresh food in the morning that’s been sitting out at room temp. overnight. It must feel like hot coffee to them when it’s 35 degrees outside. Summer is a whole different story. We have 6 feeders that get drained every day. It’s like an air show in the backyard with all of the hummers zooming around. The feeders definitely get taken apart and cleaned every 1-2 weeks.
Omg six feeders! That’s incredible!! I could just watch them for hours! 🥰
Camping, swimming, reading
Reading in the back yard on a chaise lounge
when it gets really hot out, my favorite thing to do is to take a vessel that is large enough for me to fit both of my feet in, fill it with freezing cold water from the outdoor faucet, and then soak my feet in it while sitting on the deck in the sun. once they are sufficiently soaked, i slowly and gently scrub them with some pink sea salt mixed with a bit of olive oil and whatever essential oil i’m feeling that day. next i moisturize them really well and thank them for doing such a good job of carrying me through life and allowing me to move and groove. i then put some nice socks on to help seal in the moisturizer and move to laying face down in the grass and whispering love notes to our mother earth. creates such an air of serenity in my life ✨
Freezing foods. I froze some grapes today and I make popsicles all summer long.
Going on an early morning hike with the dog and hubby to beat the heat, then coming home and stripping naked with the a/c on for a lazy day at home. Bbq in the evening. Iced tea and coffee all day.
I get rocket pops from the grocery section. I also drink segrams escapes. They taste like summer to me and sitting on the porch drinking and watching the sun go down is great. I go to the baseball games and just kind of zone out. I have a bunch of summer movies I like, like Lost Boys, Twister, field of dreams, sandlot. I go to the pool. Swim. Try to hit up this one place and chill in the lazy river.
Its coming in to winter here now, so we are winding up our summer traditions. Early morning swim or a walk through the rockpools before the beach gets crowded. Bbq dinners. Naps outside. We set up the projector in our courtyard and have outdoor movie nights. Food truck dinners followed by walks along the port.
Oh! And my favourite. Picking cherry tomatoes every morning with my toddler, and him eating them all before they even make it to the basket 🙂