Two pink summer drinks

Katie enjoys a French Monaco cocktail at a cookout. —Patricia Gay photo

Summertime, and the drinking’s easy, or at least it should be. While my summer drink of choice at a bar is usually a Mojito with its cooling rum, lime, and mint, at a cookout or barbecue I prefer something lighter that I can consume easily with food, and usually grab a beer.

But why settle for a plain old beer when you can quickly turn it into a refreshing cocktail? Here are two of my favorite beer cocktails, quick, simple, and super easy to drink, and on top of it, they’re pink.

Cheers!

James Garner, lovable moments

James Garner as the affable Jim Rockford.

James Garner was such a good actor. You felt like you knew him, and wanted to have a beer and a shish kebab with him. He was so laid back and charmingly funny, anything and everything he did from movies to TV commercials, was worth watching.

Game of Horns

Play guards, play.

Visitors to Buckingham Palace got a special treat last week with an unexpected musical performance during the changing of the guard.

In praise of ASP

ASP crew and members of the family they helped at a work site in West Virginia.

For eight years, my husband Jerry has spent one week of his vacation time on a trip without me.

Bryan Cranston’s coming back to the small screen

A round of applause indeed Mr. President, on your return to TV.

Bryan Cranston is coming back to television! No, not for Breaking Bad and not for Better Call Saul.

Weird Al’s Tacky

Weird Al is back and Tacky as ever.

Every now and then a song bursts on the scene that hits everyone, young and old. Such is the case with the song Happy by Pharrell Williams. You hear it everywhere, radio, elevators, supermarkets, in your dreams.

Christopher Walken as Captain Hook

Get used to the tick tocking sound of the croc, Mr. Walken — Scene from Pulp Fiction

Ingenious! NBC has announced that in its next musical, Peter Pan Live! which will be telecast on Dec. 4, they’ve cast Christopher Walken as Captain Hook.

John L. Seigenthaler, an inspiration

John L. Seigenthaler, left, and son John, attending a musical performance at Weston High School featuring grandson Jack. —Patricia Gay photo, all rights reserved.

Newspaperman and activist John L. Seigenthaler died on Friday at the age of 86. He is being remembered as a crusader, civil rights advocate, and leader of free speech. He was all those things. I’ll also add that he was an inspiration.

At long last, a Richard Estes retrospective

Times Square (2004), a painting by Richard Estes, is on exhibit now at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine.

Richard Estes might be the most neglected major American artist working today. So says Sebastian Smee of the Boston Globe, and I agree. For more than 30 years I have been waiting to see the art of Richard Estes featured in a major exhibition. The time has finally come.

I have a new law

Reporters waited for hours on Tuesday in Ridgefield for a press conference about the death of a 15-month-old boy who was left in a hot car. —Macklin Reid photo

Forget the law that says you should put babies in car seats or carriers in the back seat of the car.

Put them in the front on the passenger side, always.

See them, hear them, always.

Enough of these tragedies.

And these:

Denver Police caution parents after Atlanta baby dies in hot car

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/07/toddler-dies-heatstroke-trapped-in-car/12282829/

http://www.wbtw.com/story/25979679/parents-charged-after-florence-baby-dies-from-being-left-in-hot-car

Enough!