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“If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance.” ~Bern Williams
At the end of every summer I make a list of things I want to do next summer that we either didn’t get around to, or that we didn’t do enough of, when the warm weather was still upon us.
Last year we spent a lot of time at the Red Wing Aquatic Center. It’s a very nice, zero depth, swimming pool with water slides and umbrellas surrounding it. They keep it very clean, and honestly I prefer it to most Minnesota beaches. We did get to a beach in Prescott last summer which was pretty nice, and Gracie wants to go back, so that’s one of the things on our summer list.
We went canoeing down the Cannon River last summer and that was a lot of fun, so that’s on the list too. Jeff and Gracie want to go camping, so I suppose that will be on the list. I’m not really a fan of camping, but if there’s actual plumbing and running water near by I do okay. I love being outside, I just don’t really like the idea of sleeping with wild life that consider me prey. The last time we went camping there was a group of raccoons that started a fight in our campsite and I was convinced they were too busy fighting to notice our tent and that they were going to tear right through it. Little weirdos. 🙂 But the smell of freshly brewed French Press (which we prefer to ‘cowboy coffee’ with oogie grounds floating in it…) and watching Jeff make our traditional camping breakfast (corned beef hash and eggs…) almost makes up for the mild peril of sleeping with one eye open all night. And now that we have real camping chairs we don’t have to sit in the dirt like losers. So that’s a plus. 🙂
One thing I would really like to do this summer is go on more picnics. We grill out almost every night in the summer, and I love it, but it’s not the same as packing a picnic. I want to get together with my grandparents and maybe go to the covered bridge park in Zumbrota for the day, armed with cold fried chicken and my grandpa Papa’s amazing potato salad. I also really like ‘starlight’ or ‘stargazing’ picnics. Wouldn’t it be fun to get a telescope and look for constellations while sipping a glass of wine? I have this wonderful old book called “Find the Constellations,” that I think we’ll take out to the deck with a picnic blanket, a bottle of vino,
a plaid thermos “Scotch Cooler”… and have a stargazing picnic…
What are your favorite things to do in the summer? I’m making a list, and looking for ideas!
~Melissa
If I were in MN, Summer would not be complete without a trip up the North Shore. Valleyfair would also be on the list. Here in AZ, I am sure we will be making a trip to Legoland and I don’t know if you have the same thing there, but the movie theaters here run kid friendly movies once a week for like $5 for the entire summer.
In MN I also liked to watch the lightening bugs
Hi Sheryl,
Yes, we like to go up to the North Shore every year too…sometimes we save that for autumn 🙂 We also like heading out to the Door County peninsula, and have been there several times. Kind of a long drive, but totally worth it. Went to Valley Fair for Gracie’s birthday last year and for the first time ever, all of the ‘big’ rides completely terrified me, hee hee…Jeff and Gracie went on the power tower and I could hardly watch.
Love lightning bugs. We sit out on our front porch and watch them. So pretty. Thanks for your ideas!
I plan to take the boys up to the North Shore this summer too, and possibly to Wisconsin Dells. Otherwise, our summers are spent camping and fishing and playing lacrosse. I am hoping to take a boat trip down the river, we always enjoy events like outdoor art & music events, car shows and of course the State Fair. I’m dying for the kind of weather where I’m in shorts and my windows are open. OH and the farmers markets and walking by any body of water and sitting in the grass looking at the sky and reading in a chair with the breeze and sounds of the neighborhood and …..Thanks, now I’m totally distracted with thoughts of summer! LOL
Hey Kimber,
They have free movies in the park in Red Wing once a week…they’ll post showtimes on this site as they become available http://www.lookmedia.tv/se3bin/cliente.cgi We really have fun when we go, but remember the industrial strength bug spray! 🙂 Stockholm WI (across the river about a half hour from Red Wing on the “Great River Road”) has a cool Art Festival every year http://www.stockholmartfair.org/ It will be on July 17th this year. GREAT little town filled with cool gift shops, art galleries, a culinary/entertaining store called “The Palette” where you can get yummy wines and cheeses…A bakery called “Bogus Creek” that makes the best bread I have ever eaten… Before you get to Stockholm you’ll go through a little village called Maiden Rock that is tiny, but so beautiful…they have “Pick Your Own Berries” all spring and summer. LOTS of good stuff. Email me if you have any questions.
sorry, I tried to make the websites I mentioned above ‘links’…can’t seem to figure out how to put a link in a comment.