When you were a kid, summer meant simple things: doing water ballets in the waves, sharing an ice cream with the dog, wiggling your piggies in the sun-warmed grass. Now that you’re grown-up — well, actually, not that much has changed. Your letters this month revealed that the things that make you want to shout, “Hooray, it’s summer!” are often still rooted in those days when fun came without a price tag.

This Month’s Winner

Ladies Who Bike
Every summer several friends and I pack up our cars with our biking gear and hit the road. It’s so much fun to drive down the freeway in a car full of girls ready to ride. Typically we head to Sun Valley for some of the best mountain biking in the country. We ride every day, stopping at restaurants we’ve mapped along the way so we can pig out after a hard day. Best ride to date: Fisher Creek — 18 miles, long uphill, beautiful flowers, amazing views.
Nancy Ryan
Ketchum, Idaho
Nancy will receive a copy of the book Real Simple: The Organized Home.

Footloose

When I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s in Houston, the first ritual of summer was heading off to Woolworth’s with my mother and sister to buy the symbolic pair of flip-flops. Right out of bed, we would put them on, then keep them on all day. As the soles grew thinner and thinner, I could tell that the end of summer was approaching. These days my flip-flops last me several seasons, but when that little piece of plastic slips between my toes, I know it’s summer, and I am a kid again.
Denae Leigon
Napa, California

Walking on a green carpet of grass in my bare feet, with my two small children at my ankles, is a great summer pleasure. Adding a water hose to the mix is even better.
Candi Summers
Arlington, Texas

When the temperature finally goes up enough for me to break out the sandals, I treat myself to that oh-so-wonderful first professional pedicure of the season. The scented bubbles, the exfoliating sugar scrub, and the relaxing massage with rich moisturizers make me feel like a pampered princess. Finish it off with a blazing bright polish that screams “diva!” and it’s officially summer.
Cami Cacciatore
Flagstaff, Arizona