“I’m hosting a summer dinner for my ex-girlfriend and her family,” I said when asked what I was doing over the weekend. It sounded strange, but such is the strange world in which we live. I’ve been close to her and her family since middle school, so this was a natural thing, and a very happy reunion with some people we often see over the holidays. The menu was on the casual summery side, as seen below. 

The Menu ~ A Summer Gathering

– White Bean Dip with Herbs

– Fresh & Tangy Cucumber Bites

– White Peach Sangria

– Kick-ass Quinoa Salad (Cold)

– Bulghur Shrimp Salad (Warm)

– Andy’s Kickin’ Chicken (for Chillin’ & Grillin’)

– Hot dogs & hamburgers for the kids

– Carol’s Potato Salad

– Missy’s Veggie, Cracker & Pita Platter

– Carla’s Italian Pastries

Even better than the food was the company, and the two Abramo boys and their new addition Queenie made use of the pool space while we perused the gardens and settled in on the patio. It was the perfect summer gathering with some of my favorite people in the world. Hopefully we’ll get to do it again.

The importance of catching these moments is more apparent to me than ever now that kids are involved. They mark time better than any clock or calendar, and they remind me how quickly it’s going. Too quickly. 

Fall was in the wind the other day so let’s all just slow down a little and let summer have its say. Ease up on the full-throttle rush towards the end of the sunny season. Let’s come to a stand-still while the light is strong and the beauty is in bloom. Savor the sun through the leaves of a banana tree. Hell, let’s rewind and go back a bit… just to prolong these glorious days. A recap of the last week, as we do on Monday:

The race for the ripe figs has begun. 

Every limbo boy and girl, all around the limbo world. 

When my work world and my blog world collide. 

Make better choices, Albany.

The Beekman Boys know how to soothe sun-battered skin. 

Seen at the urinal.

The sky looked sick, twisted. 

I want you to have it all.

Crying Guncle. 

We are all critics. 

A Campari cocktail. 

Hunks of the Day included John Lloyd Young, Dominick Purnomo, Joshua Benoit, Tyler Cameron, Jericho Rosales, Preston Brock, and Tom Hetherington. 

Some skies are sick.

Dangerous.

Some whisper loudly of tornadoes.

Warnings. 

Some are simply queasy, eliciting vertigo when you look up into them.

Such was the sky last night.

Clouds swirled in opposite directions. Multiple layers of distinct shades, a darkly twisted ombre that would look better on paper or cloth than in the sky. There it swirled, ominously portending large, heavy raindrops, which fell soon enough, driving us indoors and under cover.

Summer has its own dangers.

This is not over yet.

Leave it to the Beekman Boys to come up with the perfect summer soap selection in the form of their ‘After the Sun’ aloe bar enriched with goat milk. The sound scientific support for all their products finds soothing results with the addition of skin-cooling aloe and the tranquility-inducing attributes of lavender. Following a day at the beach or by the pool or working beneath the high sun in the garden, this is a vital component of any proper cool-down treatment. It’s a ritual that closes out a summer day in peaceful and contented form.

See more Beekman Boys adventures here, here, here, here, and here. 

How we ended up here already is beyond my comprehension. The last full month of summer is underway. My how the season is flying by. It’s been a pretty full one, and it’s not over yet, so let’s dive back in…

Morning is back in vogue.

Cocktails in Saratoga.

An anti-party Madonna Timeline. 

Get bent.

These hunks generally prefer a Speedo, but they’ll do shorts too. 

Prevention versus correction. 

Are we seriously considering Nick Jonas rocking a Dad bod?

You spin me right round.

The Taylor Swift pendulum has swung back to the fan zone. 

Cristiano Ronaldo in his underwear again. 

Do as I say, not as I do.

When two loved ones argue it’s not pretty. This is Summer vs. Retail. 

Chris Evans: that’s America’s ass.

Hunks of the Day included Dominic Albano (no relation to Captain Lou), Ryan Bingham, Nick Hounslow, Daniel Matsunaga, Lionel Messi, and BJ Gruber.