Yee hah! The unofficial start of summer is here. According to (somebody?), Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer — sunshine, shorts, cold beverages, relaxing on the deck or the beach, and more.

Summer has started for me. Took in a Sea Dogs game (with post-game fireworks!) on Friday night with family, swam with my granddaughters in the in-laws' swimming pool on Saturday, and mowed my lawn for the second time this year on Sunday. A good start.

Summer is to be enjoyed. In Maine, our summers are short so we need to make the best of it. I remember thinking in the fall of years past, "What the heck did I do this summer? Nothing but work!" Those summers and falls were bummers, as winter soon approached.

Oh, to be a young teen again. Remember those summers of going to the beach or swimming in a local pond, riding bikes, picking berries, hooking up with friends, playing games in the field or on a court, staying outside late, sleeping in until at least 9 a.m., enjoying Dad's cookouts on the charcoal grill, watching "daytime" baseball on TV on the weekends, taking a boat ride in a friend's boat, lighting off firecrackers on the Fourth? ... Ah. Such memories.

Well, since my summer has started — and I hope your Memorial Day weekend was fun, too — it's time to start planning for a fun summer. Don't let it become late August or early September and thinking back, "Where did the summer go?" Get out that calendar, plan a few outings, and get out of the house to enjoy some of those 100-plus days.

Locally, enjoy a day at Barrett's Park or Hendricks Head beach. If you own a bike, get on it and ride. If your friend sold his boat years ago, there's always the excursion boat rides — sail or power. Go pick some berries this month at a local farm. Plan and invite family and friends over for a Fourth of July cookout (make it a weekend as the Fourth is on a Monday this year!). Take a ride to an undiscovered Maine destination and spend the day there. Grab those Frisbees, balls and gloves or basketball and break a sweat. Find a good book in the bookstore or at the library and relax in the shade at the beach or on your deck (and have it within reach on those rainy days). S’mores on the campfire, etc.

What do you have planned this summer? I invite our readers to write us a letter (350 words or so) about their summer fun. Send them to me via email, kevinburnham@boothbayregister.com, and I will either print them in the paper or online. Let’s have fun this summer!