Summer is, without question, my favorite time of year. The other seasons certainly have their charm, but nothing tops warm, aimless nights, outdoor adventures, and, most importantly, new sundresses! Summer always has a way of sneaking up on me, but I’m not letting it this year. I’ve been rounding up the best of the season, now I just have to wait for summer weather to match my summer mentality!

At the top of my must-have list is a portable outdoor barbeque. Growing up, I would wait eagerly for dusk, the time when all the neighborhood dads would come outside, light the grills, and commiserate about that day’s ball game over the fence. And while they chatted, the smell of freshly lit charcoal would fill the air, hinting at the bounty to come. Today, despite the lack of white picket fences and open yards in my life, I’ve found a way to bring a little summer to my little apartment. This Mini Grill-in-a-Bag goes can go anywhere I go … even to the real ball game, so the tradition of commiseration continues.

Another place I’ll take my nifty grill is to Big Sur for our annual camping trip. In fact, I plan on packing it right next to my brand new Eurika Sunrise 6-person tent! In the past, I’ve either been the tent mooch who squeezes into the 2-person Coleman with an inevitably unhappy friend and her unhappier boyfriend or the wannabe diplomat who falsely claims, “I just love to wake up and look at the stars,” while unfolding my sleeping bag under a tree. No more! Now, I can take in the salty sea air and the fresh grass on my own terms and generously repay my relieved friends with a cozy abode in the middle of the woods.

As excited as I am to break in my new tent, the last thing I plan to do is spend my entire weekend inside it, hiding from the sun. Fortunately, Peter Thomas Roth just came out with a brush-on SPF powder that will protect me from both the sun and cabin fever. This finely milled mineral powder provides a translucent, matte finish with sunblock and vitamins to keep my face protected. I never thought I’d be the type of girl to powder my nose before a hike! If only PTR would come out with a coconut scented version, then I’d have summer all year round.

My snazzy SPF powder doubles as the perfect finishing touch for spontaneous lunch dates or afternoons on the Bay when I’m billowing in white. I love the cool, crisp look of these cotton dresses, as though someone just found a clothesline in the middle of a wheat field and snatched the breezy dress just for me. Every time I slip it on, I smell the soft scent of wheat and fresh country soap. Okay, maybe all that Ireally smell is Tide, but I still feel like a country vixen.

At night, I’ll pair the dress with tight jeans and heels for an evening of summer fun. And in the off-chance that the outfit isn’t enough to turn heads, with Escada’s Moon Sparkle, full of strawberries, citrus, sweet peas and amber, I’ll be a veritable schmorgasboard of summer treats. Are those the boys of summer I hear thundering down the street towards me?