Our Summer To Do Lists

© Massimo Vitale

As today marks the summer solstice we thought it would be fun to wrap our heads around what we would like to accomplish these next few months. Our girls are out of school and the days are long and warm- life is good!

Preston’s To Do List:

Today is my favorite day of the year. I love that it is light late into the evening and I seem to get so much more done. This summer we are staying close to home (and the barn) and then will be on the Vineyard for August. I wish I could say that I am going to learn to cook better but I am not there yet. Perhaps I will tackle grilling, it looks easy enough. I do make a mean corn salad and fearlessly boil lobsters which I cook in abundance for family and friends.

Local exploring tops my list, lots of movies (Tree of Life and Beginners) and maybe a flea market. I collect dress patterns from the ’60s and ’70s and am going to have some of them made up in fun silk prints.

And that is about it. I plan to let the summer lead me- maybe I will discover something new if I am not looking so intently and making so many lists!!

Jennifer’s To Do List:

Like Preston, I don’t have a laundry list of things I want to do or get done this summer. Rather I want to be more carefree and let summer take me where it will. I haven’t even made our August vacation plans yet!

On my short list:

1) Find new day trips and outdoor activities: First, I want go to the car races at Lime Rock Race Track, preferably a vintage car race; think Paul Newman in his racing heyday. Plus a meal at the nearby Falls Village Inn in Litchfield which decorator Bunny Williams recently redecorated. Also on my list: Kayaking on the Hudson River with my girls. Then I’m going to research other day trips and activities to try out.

2) Go memory mad: In this digital age, photo albums have gone by the wayside. At least they have in my house. While I would like to become a scrapbook maven by summer’s end, I am lowering the bar a bit and am just going to try to add to and create new photo albums. (I am embarrassingly far behind.) I’d also like to schedule a family photograph portrait, maybe at the beach, before school is back in session.  Time flies too fast!

What else? Again like Preson, I want to grill a lot–especially fruits for dessert (grilled peaches with mint and vanilla ice cream ? Heaven!) Aim to have a weekly popcorn-and-movie night at home to catch up on all the good ones I’ve recently missed, and read two classic novels (one I’ve never tackled, the other from my favorites list.)

Happy Summer!