According to the calendar, and the phases of the moon, the season of Summer runs from about June 20^th  to September 20^th , or about 120 days. Here in the US though, Summer is traditionally measured as the time between the Memorial Day holiday (last Monday in May), and Labor Day (first Monday in September). This year, if you count the days from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, until Labor Day, there are 101 days.

I am a Summer person. I get the most enjoyment out of life in general during these 101 days. My love of the outdoors, visiting lighthouses, baseball, NASCAR, sunshine, and many other things are all centered around these 101 days. While talking about Summer with my wife, she threw out a challenge to me. She challenged me to do something truly enjoyable, outdoors, on every one of these 101 days. I also thought I might do a “Project 101”, where I take a picture every day for 101 days and compile them. Those are some ideas, and I will have others. The important thing is that I want to make sure that each of my 101 days matter.

I thought today I would start with a list of 101 things I love about summer.

I love popsicles (1), and ice cream cones (2). I love chasing the ice cream truck (3) for a frozen treat.

I love visiting a child’s lemonade stand (4), and sipping a cool glass of sun tea (5).

I love wearing shorts (6), and short-sleeved shirts (7), and seeing women working in their gardens wearing floppy hats (8).

I love waking up in the morning and hearing the symphony of birds chirping (9), and that feeling that it will be beautiful day and I don’t have to get up yet (10).

I love the sound of children playing outside (11), because school is out! (12), running through the sprinkler (13), coloring the driveway with sidewalk chalk (14) and blowing endless bubbles (15).

I love the taste of fresh, ripe tomatoes (16), corn on the cobb (17), and delicious cantaloupe (18).

I love sunrises (19), sunsets(20), suntans  (21), and sun-bleached hair (22).

I love the abundance of flowers (23), especially the fields of sunflowers (24).

I love the feel of soft green grass under my feet (25), and the smell of freshly cut grass (26) – even if it makes me sneeze.

I love trips Up North (27), and long car rides in the country (28)

I love the sights, sounds and smells of a county fair (29).  I love the taste of elephant ears and funnel cakes (30).

I love knowing that rain is coming because I can see the underside of the leaves (31), the thrill of a thunderstorm (32), the smell of fresh rain (33), and splashing in puddles (34).

I love relaxing in a swimming pool (35), watching children in a kiddie pool (36) and sliding down a slip and slide (37).

I love watching baseball(38) and auto racing(39).

I love Fathers Day (40), and the 4^th of July (41).

I love the heat! (42), and the satisfaction of ice cold beer on a hot day (43), or sipping an umbrella drink (44) at a sidewalk café or restaurant (45).

I love the smell of my baseball glove (46), playing catch (47), or getting into a pickup sandlot game (48).

I love going to the beach (49) and enjoying the people watching (50), the sound of the waves lapping at the shore (51), and the fun of beach volleyball (52).

I love reading a book outside (53), while camping (54), or just sitting on my patio (55). I love coffee on my sister’s front porch (56).

I love doing completely pointless things like chasing butterflies (57) and fireflies (58), having a squirt gun fight (59), or a water balloon fight (60), skipping stones (61), and tossing Frisbees (62).

I love soaking my feet in a cool, babbling brook (63), then building a rock dam (64).

I love pontoon boat rides (65), going to fireworks shows (66), and the scent of suntan lotion (67).

I love blue-sky days (68), that seem to go on forever (69).

I love the fellowship of a campfire (70) and the fun of making s’mores (71).

I love summertime trips like going to the zoo (72), taking a lake excursion (73), or going to an amusement park (74) to enjoy the roller coasters (75).

I love picnics (76) and paddle boats (77), bocce ball (78) bike rides (79) and baggo (80).

I love dirty-faced (81), tree-climbing (82) children.

I love graduation parties (83) and garage sales (84).

I love street art fairs (85) and outdoor concerts (86). Kite flying (87) and sparklers (88). Summer block buster movies (89) at drive-in theaters (90).

I love laying on a hammock (91), under a shady tree (92), and enjoying the scent of laundry that dried on the line (93).

I love barbecues (94) with fruit and vegetables from roadside stands (95).

I love watermelon (96), parades (97), marching bands (98),  meteor showers (99) and the sound of crickets and cicadas (100).

But mostly I love the peaceful, relaxed feel of the season of summer (101)