There's snow on the ground now.
That's not uncommon for here. Snow in October, I mean. Or even September. It's doesn't stick around usually until November or so, but it still shows up.
This morning I realized that, since I took a break from blogging throughout September, I never did my revisit to my summer bucket list.
It was a rough summer for our area, due to all the wildfires. Here we had very thick smoke for a while, but compared to some places nearby, we were very lucky.
Not to mention the other issues going on right now.
My point is that summer didn't go exactly as planned, so I am curious to see what I actually did do from my bucket list.
And here it is, with my comments beside each item:
1. Check out a water park or outdoor splash park. We didn't do this one this year. Our town, though, has a great new outdoor pool that I know a lot of people enjoyed over the summer. And the splash park near our house is always a favourite.
2. Go hiking. Actually, for a portion of the summer all trails and everything were closed. There was not a lot of hiking going on.
3. Make s'mores over a campfire. I did this once in June. But, since fires were also banned most of the summer, that was the only time.
4. Make a new pair of cut-offs or other similar summer attire. This one I did! A new pair of cut-offs.
5. Build a sandcastle. I played in the sand in Jamaica, but I don't know that I created an actual sandcastle. My husband is really good at sandcastles, actually. In fact, one year for Christmas I made him a sandcastle-building kit, based on tools that professionals recommend.
6. Eat popsicles (or fudgesicles or whatever) Yes, I definitely did this one! Fudgesicles, more this summer.
7. Sit around a campfire or bonfire, watching the flames. Again, banned fires.
8. Lie out at night watching the stars or a meteor shower. This one I did for sure. Since we aren't in the city, you can actually see the stars really well from my backyard. Nothing like sitting in the hot tub star-gazing.
9.Swim in the ocean. For sure! Swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, floating...
10. Attend an outdoor live music concert or music festival. Check! A nearby folk festival that we try to attend every July. Plus there was some great outdoor live music at the Canada Day celebrations in town (beer tents!), and at the May Long weekend birthday party we attended. Not to mention the beer fest we go to every June. It's on a ski hill, it's awesome, and there's some great live music during the whole thing.
11. Road trip. Well, not far, not this year.
12. Attend a local baseball game. My husband plays in a work tournament every summer. I sometimes play too, but this year I watched and hung out with the dogs. It's still fun, and still counts as a check for this item.
13. Spend the day at the lake. Actually, we didn't do this one at all. With the weather and everything the way it was, plus knowing that we were heading to Jamaica when we were, we never took a lake day or weekend all summer!
14. Go to a farmers' market. Make dinner or lunch from the food you get
there. This one I did as well! I really like our local weekly market, and though I certainly did not get there every week, I still did a little shopping there throughout the season. Nothing like fresh market fruits and veggies!
15. Movie marathon in your comfiest clothes. Well, TV show marathons, but yes, I'm counting it.
16. BBQ. Yup. My father's a beef farmer, and so all our beef comes from cattle on his farm. A nice BBQ steak? Mmmm... (Though I really just love BBQ in general. Beef, pork, chicken, veggies... All good.)
17. Read some of those books you have been trying to get around to reading. I didn't do nearly as much reading as I typically do during the summer. Honestly, I was so focused on finishing writing The Girl with the Empty Suitcase, I didn't focus on reading much at all. I was working on the Dark Tower books, mostly. I think I only read five books all summer. Not terrible, I suppose, but below what I was hoping for and planning on. I'm going to have to make sure I read a few more in the coming cooler months.
18. Try a new flavour of ice cream. I did this one a couple times. There is an awesome local ice cream shop. I went in there and simply picked something random. I don't remember exactly what the flavours were, but I just remember not being disappointed.
19. Groove out to a new summer playlist. I updated my general playlist in June. I have very eclectic tastes, so it ranges from 1960s-style folk, to '90s pop, to country, to musicals, to rock, to indie... I guess you get it. Point is, it makes me happy and has a very summer-vibe.
20. Attend one of the following: a family reunion, wedding shower, or wedding. Pretty much all of the above! My husband's grandparents celebrated their sixtieth anniversary and had a little reunion for it. My sister and I threw a bridal shower (Beatles themed!) for our then soon-to-be sister-in-law last June. And then, we went to the wedding of my youngest brother and that same "then soon-to-be sister-in-law". Bonus points for it being outside?
21. Bring some flowers inside from your garden. I didn't have much that did well this year in terms of gardening, what with the dry, dry weather. But I did bring in a few blooms from my perennials.
22. Become a tourist in your own town. Check out a tourist stop. The local museum had some great events for Canada's 150th, including a beer, live music, and the opening of a large new exhibit. They did a great job hosting Canada Day long weekend events.
23. Go to something you typically wouldn't: a zoo, amusement park, or art gallery, maybe. Well, I typically don't scuba dive... I had never done it before, in fact. But this summer I got certified in it while in Jamaica. So, I was sightseeing under the sea. I'm counting that.
24. Learn something new, whether that is part of a new language, a new hobby, or whatever. Last year, for example, I tried my hand at an altered book. Scuba diving again! And I learned a lot this summer about the process of self-publishing, with all my research and preparation for the release of The Girl with the Empty Suitcase.
25. Go camping. We camped at a friend's acreage Victoria Day long weekend (May Long!). And I camped in my parents' farm one night, but that wasn't exactly "going camping". So I don't think I can count that. We didn't make any camping trips this year, which is very unusual, as we love camping. Honestly, the fires closed down so much of the area in which we usually camp, and with restrictions and bans, we simply didn't go. Next year, though, we will be looking forward to getting back out there to camp again.
This summer was a good example of how things don't always go as planned... and that's okay. I still had a great summer. In fact, I still had an amazing summer.
Looking back to recent summer months, what was your favourite part of the season? Comment below, or via my contact page. And don't forget to subscribe to my monthly newsletter.