Sharing summer sentences

Graduation was the theme of the latest haiku contest at Caribbean Kigo Kukai. And guess what? I just found out that I tied for third place. To see the results (and read my haiku) click here. It was the first time I took part, so I am thrilled.

Some of my friend's children in the U.S. graduated this year. Others have a few years yet. But they all have already started their summer vacation. Most have been enjoying the past month at the pool or at camp, on vacation or just hanging with friends at home. Not so in Germany. My daughter still has three days of school yet. She can't wait until school vacation begins. And my husband doesn't need to work for the next ten days. For more about that, click here. Yipee! That means I can annoy the hell out of them.  :-)   Just joking. I am very much looking forward to spending time with both of them, so if I don't post often in the next week or two, you'll know why.

One of the things I like about summer is grill parties. Barbeques. Picnicks. Whatever you want to call them. I am a big fan of grilled vegetables. Grilled steak or chicken. Corn on the cob. And salads. Green salad. Pasta salad. Broccoli salad. Pepper and feta salad. White radish salad. Potato salad. Can't go wrong with salad. Of course, there are the fresh summer fruits. Watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, peaches. Ah, yes. Summer is a great time for food and wine and relaxing with friends.

What do you think about summer? Below are four sentence starters. Your task is to complete them and post your answers in the comment section.

1. One thing I like about summer is...
2. Something I hate about summer is...
3. My favorite place to go in summer is...
4. A summer memory from my childhood is...

Okay. Here are my answers.  

1. One thing I like about summer when there is a slight breeze in the evening and the fragrance of our jasmine bush fills the air. It's even more perfect if fireflies are flying around and flashing.

2. Something I hate about summer is mosquitoes. Luckily, there aren't as many at my home now as there were in Pennsylvania. Those suckers treated me as a five-course meal. I spent many a summer looking like I had measles.

3. My favorite place to go in summer is ANYWHERE. But if I have to pick one place it would be Italy. To reach the northern tip is only about 3 1/2 hours, maybe 4. Gargnano, which is a quaint little village we adore directly on Lake Garda , is about 6 1/2 hours. My daughter enjoys going to the ocean. Lido di Jesolo is about an 8 to 9-hour drive. Of course, from there one can take a short ride by ship to Venice. Great weather is summer. Delicious food. Wonderful hearty wines. Culture. Yep...Italy rocks.

4.  A summer memory from my childhood is when my friend Kathy and I put on a talent show for our neighborhood. We planned and practiced and sold tickets to our show. There was singing, dancing, gymnastics, twirling, comedy, and a magic show. Everything went well except the magic show. Probably because neither of us knew any magic. Somehow we thought the skills would magically come to us. But they didn't. Luckily, that failed attempt came right before our closing act, the song that helped redeem us in the eyes of the other kids that were watching. We sang "The Candy Man" and as we came to the last few lines, we plunged our hands into two giant bags filled with an assortment of sweets and then tossed them in the air. The other kids went home with handfuls of candy and smiles on their faces.

Now, it's your turn. I want to know your answers to these questions. C'mon. Don't be shy. It's only 4 questions. And if you answer, I promise to never perform a magic show for you.

Abracadabra...and now I will disappear.

POOF!