Editor’s Notes: July 2018
Memories of summers past.
Some of my best memories from growing up are from the summer.
When my mom was little, her parents bought a second home on the beachfront and spent every summer there. The tradition continued when I was little, as my family stayed there with my grandparents all summer, from the day after school got out to the day before it started again. On weekends, my cousins, aunts and uncles would visit as well. We’d creatively fit three generations of 15 people in the three-bedroom house.
Us kids spent most days at the beach immediately in front of the house, while our parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents watched from the yard or from inside the front room, with picture windows framing the view. My mom would stay with us, towing us on an inflatable raft waist-deep in the ocean, and helping us build castles in the sand.
After we washed up from a day at the beach, we’d all sit down to family dinner at the dining table, with overflow on Sundays when everyone was at the house and the kids would have their own tables in the kitchen. We’d celebrate summer birthdays after family dinner, with homemade cake and ice cream.
Then during the evenings, we’d lay out on lawn chairs in the front yard, wishing on shooting stars that passed overhead, or gather around a fire pit, roasting marshmallows for s’mores and telling stories.
This house is where memories were made. The rest we got and the food we ate fueled our daytime adventures, and our family grew closer with each summer day.
Outdoor living is as important as indoor living, especially in Hawaii, where we can enjoy it year-round. This issue celebrates the lives we live just outside of our homes, in our outdoor living spaces. I hope you find inspiration to get outside and enjoy this summer with family and friends, in a hammock, swimming pool or on the lanai.
Aloha,
Stephanie Silverstein, Editor
stephanies@hawaiihomemag.com
