Friday Five: Hot Town, Summer in the City.......

...or town, or suburb, or hamlet, or burg, or unincorporated zone, or rural area of your choice---pretty much anywhere but the southern hemisphere, it's summer. (Australians and others, consider this an invitation to take a break from winter for a while.)

1. Favorite summer food(s) and beverage(s)

mmmmm.... watermelon, homemade peach ice cream, iced tea (year round)

2. Song that "says" summer to you. (Need not be about summer explicitly.)

Beach Boys music usually speaks summer to me.  But there is a song I remember from Childhood that I used to listen to on the Channel Master transistor radio outside on the curb of our neighborhood - Red Rubber Ball - I don't know why, but I do. I interrupt this Friday Five to present you with this:

3. A childhood summer memory -- I have several memories of summer - one is that there were two of us girls in our family and we had strict instructions that boys were not allowed in the house (which I really didn't get since I at the time was in elementary school). So we always played board games on the carport. Monopoly, Life, and canasta.  Once we were in the upper elementary grades and I found the boys' secret clubhouse with their special magazines in it. I found out they had a life they didn't tell us about.

4. An adult summer memory - for many years, several of us adults went to summer camp in our diocese. Two of us did the Christian education portion of the programming while the other was a nurse. Our responsibility (not the nurse) was about 2 hours each day. The rest of the day was ours. We read, played cards, ate, and jawed and solved the problems of the world. We also taught a new clergy person who had come from a non card playing tradition how to play canasta. He always felt a tinge of guilt playing.

5. Describe a wonderful summer day you'd like to have in the near future. (weather, location, activities)

I would love a day at the beach with it close to about 80 degrees with a slight breeze, in a hammock, with someone bringing me little drinks all day.  Nice dappled shade with some soft beachy music in the background. Go for an occasional dip in the pool, which is on the beach. A low country boil would end the day.

Optional: Does your place of worship do anything differently in the summer? (Fewer services, casual dress, etc.)

We really don't do anything different - we are pretty casual all throughout the year. One year, we put up a bulletin board with a map on it and people put push pins as to where they attended church when they were away and brought back a church bulletin. Hmmm - I might suggest we do that next summer.

Comments

[sally]

mmmmmm.... water melon! Love the song- I've posted youtube stuff too!

[Presbyterian Gal]

I'm there at the beach too!! And Red Rubber Ball!! Brings back memories. The summer with Strawberry Alarm Clock and Buffalo Springfield. I met a lot of those bands out on Santa Monica Beach where I would sneak off with girlfriends to spend the day.

Great play, thanks!

[Mindy]

Oh watermelons sounds so good. With just a little salt.....and eaten in the grass.

Loved your list sweetie!

[Cathy]

We could have us a big summer party!

[Songbird]

I love that song! I have it on iTunes and choose it when I'm in a certain mood...

[Kievas Fargo]

Another watermelon fan, and I enjoyed the video!

[Quotidian Grace]

The MONKEES!! On You Tube. I guess you can find anything there now. Fun!!

[zorra]

What a great song! The Cyrkle were one of the groups that opened for the Beatles when I saw them. Yes, it really is a fun "summer song".

[Judy]

Watermelon.....ahhhhhhh! I love all those oldies songs. I'm in heaven now thinking about getting some watermelon and listening to those tunes!

[mompriest]

Watermelon, fresh, crisp, sweet, and ripe. Oh, yum. And the Monkeys...takes me right back to 6th grade, small town Wisconsin....yikes!

[rivkah]

Oh, when you mentioned the low country boil, it reminded me of the crawfish boils we'd have when
I was growing up in Louisiana! So much fun. I miss those spicy little crustaceans. Mmmm.

[Deb]

What a fun song! I remember that one, too. I didn't check YouTube for mine... hmmm....

Watermelon... I absolutely agree! It isn't summer without it!!

d

[Diane]

homemade ice cream sounds yummy!