Today, on my morning jog, I discovered a tree, albeit a small one, brimming with red leaves. Not the dusky magenta ones that grow on Japanese maples and other ornamentals, but real, bright fall-is-around-the corner red. They’re a gorgeous splash of color against the overgrown green along my trail. I love them for that. And for the promise of cool afternoons, crisp apples, schooldays and routine.
But their appearance set me thinking. How do I want to spend the waning weeks of summer, to make sure I eke out every juicy drop of sunshine, every fresh slurp of lemonade, and even more important, every memory-making moment with my family? So here’s my end-of-summer bucket list. I may not get to them all this season, but lucky for me, summer rolls around every single year.
- Go fishing.
- Explore woodland trails or take a challenging hike.
- Ride rollercoasters.
- Try out horseback riding.
- Take a bike ride.
- Go bird watching.
- Tackle a home improvement project.
- Search for turtles or toads.
- Make homemade popsicles or ice cream.
- Wake up with the sun and the chirps of songbirds.
- Go canoeing or rafting.
- Sleep on a trampoline.
- Stargaze (especially the Perseid meteor shower Aug 11-12)
- Be crafty with the kids.
- Host a nature scavenger hunt.
- Read stories.
- Do a family puzzle
- Swim in a pond, lake, or pool or visit a splash pad.
- Watch a sunset.
- Go to a drive-in movie.
- Compile a photo book of all the summer fun.
