• Originally published July 1, 2008 at 5:38 p.m., updated July 1, 2008 at 5:38 p.m.

Even I must admit that it is miserably hot outside this time of year. Normally, I would never admit to being intolerant of the legendary summer Texas heat. After all, I think of myself as a beach person and love heat, water and sand. I feel best when I am outside in the sunshine soaking up rays.

I remember the old days when I could sit under the sun, coated with baby oil and my skin would turn a “healthy” tan color.

Gone are those days. Now you will find me outside with a long sleeve shirt and hat, fearful of UV rays and the wrinkles and skin cancer they cause.

As a teenager, I loved to spend summer days and nights at my friend Adrienne’s house. Her mom was a great entertainer and always had plenty of snacks on hand. She used to fix us Cokes with sweet maraschino cherries in them.

Adrienne had a backyard pool and free rein of her house. We spent a lot of nights together in the summer.

We were in the youth group at our church, so on many Sunday nights she would invite the church kids over to swim. If our group was on a church sponsored trip, the girls had to wear one piece bathing suits with a T-shirt, but on these casual Sunday night parties, bikinis were the norm.

Adrienne also had a handsome older brother who was never interested in any of us, but humored us with his witty conversation, which we found simply fascinating. He was already out of high school and owned his own convertible. He seemed to do just what he wanted, making him even more mysterious to us. He lived in the pool house so we saw a lot of him.

On one occasion Adrienne decided that the girls who were spending the night should go skinny dipping. We had stayed up late watching movies and Adrienne assured us that her brother would not be home while we were in the pool. He obviously had a history of staying out late or so she thought.

I remember the three of us swimming around and lounging in the water, our bodies well beneath the surface when we heard a voice. We had probably been laughing or splashing as he was driving up, so he surprised us. He seemed a little irritated that we were up so late swimming.

I’m not sure if he even knew about our lack of swimming attire since it was so dark. Adrienne begged him not to tell her parents, who were sleeping soundly in their beds. She must have had some kind of secret on him because her mother acted normal the next morning at breakfast.

I still remember her mom baking us biscuits from a can that morning while we sat quietly around the table with our eyes darting from each other, to her, and back again.

I haven’t seen Adrienne since I graduated from college. I wonder if she still remembers those late nights and swimming in the moonlight.

Summer is a great time for relaxing outside, particularly if there is a nice breeze and the sun is angling toward the horizon.

To reduce over exertion, plan simple, grilled food with watermelon for dessert. Slushy, icy drinks are a great way to stay cool.

I decided to try my hand at beverage recipes. I started with simple syrup (a base of sugar and water boiled to allow supersaturation) as a base and added fruit, ice and an assortment of juices. Although I had several failures, I think I have discovered a new passion. These non-alcoholic beverages can be enjoyed by everyone in the family.

Myra Starkey lives in Victoria. Write her in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901, or e-mail myra@vicad.com.

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