It's time to get serious about summer – July Fourth is over; the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, has come and gone.
But now that the vacation you scheduled when summer was just a hurry-up dream is here, astronomical gas prices are cutting away at your money tree.
So start taking seriously that new word in the national lexicon – “staycation.” Start looking in your own backyard for things to do on your summer vacation. Relax, reconnect with family, friends, neighbors and the neighborhood.
But what can I do at home? you might ask. Here are some ideas for a fun day that will not only leave you listening to the cha-ching! of money not spent, but also may give you a new appreciation of what you've been missing.
Backyard “sports”: Drag out the old badminton set, the croquet mallets, the horseshoes, and give 'em a whirl. Set up some full water bottles on the lawn and roll a whiffle ball filled with sand at them for your own version of lawn bowling. Invite the neighbors over and arrange a tournament with the winner receiving an absurd white-elephant item from the attic. Give the kids some chalk or a rope and introduce them to the joys of hopscotch and jumping rope.
A barbecue: A holiday favorite whether your meal of choice is hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, ribs or a veggie delight.
Read: String up a hammock or unfold a chaise lounge and open up a book. Try David McCullough's “1776.”
A potluck supper: Set up some tables and invite your friends to bring their favorite dishes. Provide Kool-Aid for the kids, sun tea for the adults, and dig in.
Camp out: The kids would just love the novelty of a tent in the backyard, and adults could have fun, too. If you've got a fire pit, roast some marshmallows over it or let the kids roast some over the burners (please – adult supervision for both). Make some s'mores and tell ghost stories around a flashlight (nothing too scary for the little ones). Listen to night birds and crickets.
Block party: Set up grills in front yards all along your street and meet your neighbors. Teach the kids some of the games you played when you were little, like Red Rover, tag, Mother May I? and others, or organize a massive water-balloon fight.
Swim: Relax around the pool, play water polo, or go to thesource4ym.com/games/swim.asp for more games. Don't have a pool? Find neighbors with one and make them your new best friends.
Take a walk: You'll discover that your neighborhood looks a lot different on foot. Stop and talk to neighbors you've never met. Walk slowly and enjoy it – after all, it's probably why you moved there in the first place.
Ride your bike to the park, the library, the beach. Discover how liberating riding around traffic is.
There's no place like home.
