Post by Mary Kat

Summer is my favorite time of the year. The sun is out, the days are long, and the weather practically requires pool time. When the sun sets at 9 PM, I can find endless ways to make the most of the day: biking downtown, picking fresh local produce, swimming off the heat in the pool, or hanging with friends at a beer garden. Even when the weather is roasting at 95F and the humidity is so thick you can hardly take a breath, I stand by the special magic that is summer.

There’s a reason so many books and movies have been built around coming-of-age in “that one special summer” — hell, Stephen King practically specialized in that mood. Summer has the ability to transport us. Back to when we were kids and everyday was at the beach, the pool, or biking with our siblings. Back when going to the state fair or amusement park was actually a reward, and I couldn’t resist a funnel cake or big ice cream cone. And, of course, back to the feeling of reading my favorite book on the beach while the water reached up for my toes. I love summer because I feel all those feelings again. It feels like I could recapture all that magic and once again, lose myself in the simple pleasure of a juicy peach from a beach stand.

With all that nostalgia and summer magic in mind, here are some photos from my beloved summer, thus far.