July . . . has sure been a hot one! But it’s not keeping us inside all the time — not judging by the stories and pictures you’re sending me for the Summer Vibes Scavenger Hunt. When I hatched this idea, I was hoping that we could get through the heat and humidity and current political climate by sharing the simple joys of summer with each other. So I thank you for playing along with me. For sharing your stories and sending me your summer photos. There have been lots of hard things for many of us these past couple of months – we’ve had to deal with cicadas and tornadoes and pests in our gardens; we’ve suffered personal losses and heartache; we’re too hot or we’re getting too much rain or we got stuck in the airport. But we’re also heading to the pool or the lake to cool off; we’re reading books and riding around in golf carts; we’re enjoying our coffee al fresco and listening to the birds.

We’re finding the joys of summer. And I thank you for sharing them!

Now, without further ado, I’m pleased to announce that Carole is the July Summer Vibes Scavenger Hunt winner!!!!

Carole . . . amassed the greatest number of Scavenger Hunt points on the July list by experiencing/doing 8 out of 10 items! (The only things Carole didn’t mention doing in July . . . were wearing a fun summer hat and sending a postcard.) Carole embraced summer with blueberry ice cream from a new farmstand. She visited a friend’s family cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee where she took a dip. She brought her cats, Fred and George, along on a camping trip (and I also know she battled a band of woodchucks back home in her garden). She watched Dale march in the Plymouth 4th of July parade and enjoyed two summer concerts (one of them featuring Dale’s band, Dale and the Duds). And, of course, Carole brought plenty of lovely flower bouquets inside to enjoy. Carole shared stories and photos, and won some “style points” along the way.

Carole also caught herself up on some items from the June list – she’s wearing sunglasses while taking a spin in an unconventional vehicle in this photo. Those June points didn’t count toward her July winning total, but they DO count toward her overall Summer Vibes Scavenger Hunt tally. (Remember . . . you can do any of the items on the list at any point in the summer.) (Because summer fun is summer fun . . . no matter which month the fun happens.)

So please join me in congratulating our Vibe-iest Viber for July . . . Carole!

Other notable participants and runners-up (who will also be awarded prizes):

Jill . . . who amassed the most June “catch-up” points by completing 9 of the 10 June list items. (And I’ll add that these were in addition to most of the July items!) (Plus . . . she has pigs!!!)

Kat . . . who sent the most photos in July. Thanks, Kat, for sharing so much joy this month.

Linda . . . who submitted the very last entries of July. Thanks, Linda, for bringing the July entries to a fitting and joy-filled close.

Although there are no prizes for second place, I will tell you that it was a super tight race . . . with Karel, Juliann, Kat, Jill, and Linda battling it out for a very close second.

So. I’ll be posting the August list tomorrow – August 1. While there will be an August winner (for amassing the most August points), please keep in mind that there will also be an OVERALL winner for the entire summer. So that means that . . . if you got a slow start, you can still catch up! You can still submit your stories and photos for June and July list items in August, and those points will count toward your overall summer total.

Speaking of overall summer totals . . .
Curious about the Summer Vibes OVERALL Leaderboard?
Here’s how it’s shaping up at the end of July: Jill, is currently at the very top of the leader board, but followed closely by Carole and Karel, with Linda nipping at their heels!

I hope you’ll enjoy some Summer Vibes by playing along in August!

And . . . here’s a photo gallery showing all kinds of Summer Vibes!