Oh, summer. We love you in the beginning as you ripen tomatoes and melons on the vine. But by the end of your stay, we’re ready to see you go. It’s not you—we just can’t wait for the season that promises pumpkins and flannel and rich-hued leaves.
One of my earliest bibliophile memories is reading a book about a mouse called Frederick. Since winter was long and lonely, Frederick would store up all the sounds, tastes, and smells of summer to keep him and his mouse family happy during their hibernating months.
We may be looking forward to fall with Labor Day around the corner this weekend, but storing those last-of-summer memories will keep us hopeful all winter long. Here are a few ways to spend your last of summer days:
- Bake a peach pie. Bonus points for picking the peaches yourself!
- Take a dip. Head to a nearby lake, a neighbor’s pool, or the ocean for an afternoon spent in the sun. (And if you thought I was going to say a dip of ice cream, you’re not wrong. Just towel off, and wrap up your day at a local ice-cream shop.)
- Host a cookout. While you can technically grill burgers and hot dogs all year round, backyard summer barbecues are the sweetest. Opt for still-in-season produce—summer squash, cucumbers, sweet corn, nectarines—keep bug spray at hand, and hang twinkle lights from the trees.
- Sneak in a day trip. Pick a spot on the map and go. Pack a picnic, stop for ice cream, break out the best tunes, and if you can, turn it into a weekend away.
- Go camping. Unless you live in a warm, humid region. If that’s the case, put this on your fall checklist!
- Drive with the windows down. You can have great, put-together hair the rest of the year.
- Seek out fireworks. It’s pretty much your last chance until New Year’s Eve, so grab some earplugs, and check your community’s listing of local events.
- Catch a game. Is there anything more American than sitting under those stadium lights and trying to catch a fly ball on summer evenings?
- Make batches of zucchini bread. While zucchini bread may seem like a fall or winter staple because of the cinnamon spice blend, zucchini is in season now. And why wait? Sweet breads are always in season.