Yes, I disdain the humidity that comes with summer like some (or most) people, but the sunshine and longer daylight means being able to get outside to enjoy all kinds of activities.

This week, with family and friends arriving from out of town, I thought back to my parents hosting local and out-of-state family and friends for cookouts. As most locals know, the Burnham household numbered nine (Mom, Dad and seven kids) and we lived on a dead end street (Gilead Street) with a big lawn, big house and wonderful neighbors.

If the burgers and dogs weren’t yet on the charcoal grill and the watermelon hadn’t been cut yet, there was usually a game of Wiffle ball, Frisbee tossing, Tag, Hide-And-Seek going on. Sometimes there would be a dozen or more kids in the yard, which my mother and father loved to see. Friends from neighboring School Street, Pear Street and other streets would drop by to play and eat! Our friends from Turners Falls, Massachusetts, the Littles (Ken, Gwen and their seven kids) made for an ultra-Brady Bunch gathering. We looked forward to them visiting every summer.

We lived a hop, skip and a jump from the local grammar school so sometimes a softball game in the back field or a basketball game on the one-basket court would get organized.

As we grew into teenagers, the cookouts became rarer and the numbers on the lawn dropped significantly as we got jobs, spent time with girlfriends and boyfriends, etc. But we did other things, like swimming at West Harbor Pond, went boating, bicycling and fishing, or taking in a movie at the Strand, or hung out at Romar Bowling Lanes. It was the best of times in the 60s and 70s.

Here’s hoping you are getting some great summer memories this year. The season is short, school starts too soon, and memories of the “season of cold and white” aren’t quite the same.