What summer is to me...

As summer comes to its end, I find myself looking over these past few months, and really thinking about what has made this summer really feel like summer. And I've come up with a list of things that, for me, really make summer.

• Beach. Walking on the sand, playing in the waves, feeling the sand under your toes.
• Bonus is spending time on the board walk with friends, checking out the pier.
• Summer's Song. The symphony of cicadas in the evenings.
• Going to the pool. This really has become a summer treat for me.
• Farmer's Markets. Fresh veggies and supporting the locals. Love it.
• Vacation from schooling. Time off to enjoy the outdoors.
• Berries and cherries. Freshly picked.
• Picnics and dinning outdoors.
• Swimming. Be it in a pool or a lake, swimming outdoors in it - is summer.
• Cucumbers. Grown in my own backyard. 
• Flowers and butterflies.

Yes, these things mean summer to me.