5. Build a fire on the beach
Clambakes are fun, signature events of summer. But there’s nothing like sitting around a simple beach fire with family or a few friends to make a summer evening really special.
There’s something about staring into a driftwood fire, with everyone’s faces alive in the light, that makes you sense your dusty ancestors.
The bonds of kinship are tightened when you sit in a small circle of like-minded souls, the Milky Way roaring overhead, the fire popping and swirling, waves breaking on the shore.
When our children were young, we used to tell rousing ghost stories that would end in squeals and giggles. Depending on the company, we still build s’mores, roast marshmallows, smoke a cigar, pass the bottle, tell tall tales.
It’s true that it’s getting harder to find beaches that allow summer fires, but they’re still out there. Whatever you do, don’t burn down the dunes, remember to pick up your trash, and don’t spoil it for others.
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9. Stroll the docks at a wooden boat show
July 2014 issue
