The Ultimate Charleston Summer

Summer is here. Last week, the hot, humid Charleston weather officially rolled in , thick and heavy, but with it comes all the ways we like to cool off – cold beers on patios,  oceans dips and boat rides. It made me realize how much I have to pack in to make it the Ultimate Charleston Summer.
This idea of the Ultimate Charleston Summer started with our friends and neighbors who have a boat. They vowed to take the boat out more often. We started compiling a mental checklist of all the things we wanted to do before the summer was over. We’ve already accomplished a few this past week.
It started with grilling out on an island (aka a sandbar that emerges at low tide in the Folly River). We loaded up our dogs, coolers, and  portable grill onto the boat and set off into the Sunset from the Folly Boat Landing. We anchored on a sandbar, which we nicknamed Horseshoe Crab Island, due to the many horseshoe crabs we found waiting for the tide to come back in. At first, we thought they were dead, left behind by the tide. But, then we noticed a twitching tail here and there. Some were even flipped on their backs. After our nature lesson, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of chicken and steak kabobs, pasta salad, and strawberries with crème fraiche.
Next, we vowed to picnic on the beach often this summer. As you can see, many of our summer bucket list items revolve around food! We picked this past Wednesday and invited two couples along for our picnic. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate due to a downpour. However, we still enjoyed our picnic meal our back porch.
I want to make homemade ice cream, this summer something I have never done. I want to check out Bluegrass on the Folly Beach Pier, Monday night yoga at the Brew Pub, and plant a garden.  I want to go crabbing at the James Island County Park, as well as attend Yappy Hour.  I want to go to the Medway Park Farmers Market, attend a Riverdogs game, try dragon boat racing at Brittlebank Park, and watch more sunsets at Bowen’s Island. I want to perfect a summer cocktail, watch a sunrise at Morris Island, and learn to make boiled peanuts.
This is a pretty good list to get me started. I want to enjoy this summer to the fullest, by taking advantage of the amazing Lowcountry scenery we enjoy in our backyard.  When I start to get complacent, I’ll refer to my Ultimate Summer checklist. What is on your list this summer?
 
How are you spending your ultimate Charleston summer? Email Katie at katie@kewsolutionsinc.com.