Synopses & Reviews
Make this the summer you try all the things you've always wanted to try!
Find out how to:
- paddle a canoe; shuck an oyster; track the tides; do a flip turn
- play badminton, bocce, and horseshoes
- turn seashells into wind chimes; tid-dye T-shirts
- prepare summer staples such as the sea breeze, barbecued spareribs, and lobster rolls
- build a campfire; grill your just caught trout; toast s'mores
- spruce up your summer rental; banish mildew; get the upper hand on berry stains
- read the night sky; identify animal tracks, leaves, and clouds
- handle the flag with respect and remember all the words to the national anthem
- get back to flying a kite and using a hula hoop
- play card games, word games, lawn games, and pool games
- host an instant party with 20 effortless appetizers
- become the most sought-after house guest or host
- make bird feeders; grow sunflowers; lure butterflies to your garden
- keep the kids occupied with fun activities for car trips and rainy days
- organize a clambake or a picnic; hang a tire swing; pack for a hike
- contruct towering sand castles; master the art of knots.
Hundreds of entries, glorious color photographs, and illustrations take you there and show you how.
Whether you're in a cabin in the mountains, in a rental at the beach, at a weekend house in the country, or taking it easy in town or in your own backyard, Summer: A User's Guide is the summer necessity—packed with practical guidance, inspiring suggestions, useful resources, engaging history, nostalgic reminiscences, and the promise of a dream summer to come.
Synopsis
Learn to paddle a canoe, make a flip turn, dig for clams, use a boogie board, fly a kite, rig an outdoor shower, make a wind chime, shuck an oyster, mix superlative margaritas—or just relax.
In lieu of vacationing with a library of how-to books, there's Suzanne Brown's infifinitely more portable, jam-packed field guide to a great summer. Relearn lost skills like how to tie a figure 8 knot and throw a Frisbee like a pro. Master the clambake with step-by-step instructions, construct towering sand castles with the right tools, and get stoked for a day of surfing by Netflixing from Brown's summer movie list. Answers to every summer quandary—how to pack for a day hike, how to start a campfire, how to get out berry stains—make this chock-full summer tome a must-have on vacation and the perfect gift from a weekend guest.
Whether you're a guest or a host, whether you have kids or are a kid at heart, whether you weekend at the beach, near a lake, or a pool, let Suzanne Brown's Summer: A User's Guide make this the summer of your dreams—a time to try things you've always wanted to try. Here are all the passions and pastimes of summer, indoors and out, in a single reference.
About the Author
Suzanne Brown proudly wears her flip-flops into fall, hoping to stretch the season out just a little longer. She has spent summer months cooking pancakes on the grill in Martha's Vineyard, water-skiing in the Adirondacks, and relaxing on the coast of South Carolina. When Brown's not digging for clams or daydreaming of summers gone by, she runs Suzanne Brown Design, a successful design and image consulting firm in Chappaqua, New York, where she lives with her husband.
Table of Contents
Contents Introduction 13
50 Fun Things to Do This Summer 16
the summer house and garden
How to Make Your Summer Rental Shine 24
Stocking the Kitchen 26
Hosting Weekend Guests 28
Whats for Breakfast? 29
How to Be the Perfect House Guest 30
The Fourth of July 31
Flag Etiquette 31
20 Easy Appetizers 32
The Adirondack Chair 34
How to Line-Dry Summer Linens 36
The Outdoor Shower 37
Growing a Kitchen Herb Garden 38
Flip-Flops 40
Flowery Flip-Flops 41
How to Arrange Flowers 43
How to Grow Sunflowers 43
The Porch Swing 44
Bird-watching for Beginners 46
Creating a Bird-Friendly Backyard 47
Attracting Hummingbirds 48
How to Lure Butterflies to Your Garden 49
The Hammock 50
How to Hang a Hammock 52
The Tire Swing 53
Make a Backyard Tire Swing 53
the great outdoors
How to Throw and Catch a Frisbee 60
How to Pack for a Picnic 61
Hawaiian Tropic Scent 62
How to Protect Your Skin from the Sun 62
How to Play Beach Volleyball 63
The Bikini 64
How to Do a Flip Turn 66
How to Do a Handstand Underwater 66
Beach Cruisers 67
How to Ride a Boogie Board 68
How to Fly a Kite 69
Reggae 70
Surfing 72
How to Use a Skim Board 73
The Jalopy 74
The Beach Towel 76
How to Make a Beach Towel Pillow 76
How to Make a Sarong 78
How to Build a Sand Castle 79
Boating 80
How to Tie a Sturdy Knot 80
How to Paddle a Canoe 83
How to Get Up on Water Skis 84
How to Track the Tides 85
How to Take a Day Hike 86
My 8 Rules for Safe Hiking 87
How to Build a Campfire 88
How to Build a Lean-to 89
Identifying Common Leaves 90
Identifying Clouds 91
Identifying Animal Tracks 92
Toasted Marshmallows 94
Campfire Songs 96
How to Catch Trout 98
How to Clean a Fish 99
The Hoodie 100
The Perseid Meteor Shower 101
How to Identify Stars and Constellations 102
games, indoors and out
How to Play Horseshoes 111
How to Play Croquet 112
How to Make a Rope Swing 113
How to Play Bocce 114
How to Play Badminton 115
Baseball 116
Rainy Day Movies 118
Backyard Movies 119
How to Play Checkers 120
How to Play Solitaire 121
How to Play 5-Card Draw Poker 122
How to Play Dominoes 123
How to Play Charades 124
Fictionary 125
How to Up Your Scrabble Score 125
the summer table
Drinks and Cocktails 130
The Margarita 132
The Beachside Bar 134
Summer Treats 134
The New England Clambake 136
Digging for Dinner: A Guide to Clamming 138
How to Shuck Clams and Oysters 139
Seafood Sauces 142
How to Have a Traditional
New England Clambake 144
How to Have a Backyard or
Indoor Clambake 145
How to Catch Crabs 146
Baja Fish Tacos 149
Lobster 150
Barbecue 152
How to Light Charcoal 154
Making Perfect Burgers 155
How to Grill the Perfect Steak 158
Corn 159
Enjoying Tomatoes 160
Watermelon 162
Ice Cream 166
Homemade Ice Cream Toppings 168
for kids
Tie-Dyed Fabrics 174
How to Tie-Dye 176
Fireflies 178
Scavenger Hunt 178
How to Use All Those Seashells 180
Car Games 182
Pool Games 184
New-Mown Grass 186
Backyard Fun and Games 186
How to Play Hopscotch 188
How to Whistle on a Blade of Grass 189
How to Skip Stones 189
Jump Rope Games 190
Jump Rope Rhymes 191
Other Things to Make and Do 192
Amusement Parks 194
How to Set Up a Lemonade Stand 197
how to fix or cure just about everything
How to Remove Mold and Mildew 202
Removing Summer Stains 203
Curing What Ails You 206
Basic First-Aid Kit 208
Creature Control 212
How to Repair a Hole in a Window Screen 215
Caring for Wicker Furniture 216
The Road Warrior Survival Kit 217
Two Final Recipes 217
Acknowledgments 218
Index 219
Photo Credits 224