On the beach this summer you can count on plenty of sun and sand, but how about food?

With all the fun to be had this season, you'll be sure to work up an appetite. Whether they're prepared in a roadside food truck or a restaurant kitchen, the best beach eats from around the world are heavenly enough to compete with the ocean view.

Click here to see the Best Beach Eats from Around the World

The Daily Meal's list of the world's best beach eats includes classic seafood dishes, and also less-familiar beachside specialties, like crab bee hoon, frankies, and cod loin al pil pil. Eat barbecued jerk chicken with your fingers from a beach vendor in Boston Bay, Jamaica, cool down with a refreshing cup of Italian granita off the coast of Sicily, or scoop authentic, freshly made guacamole with crispy, fried plantain chips from the beaches of Costa Rica. No matter what you crave, you can taste the local fare without ever leaving the beach.

Click here to see Delicious Destinations: U.S. Cities wi

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This is the summer of trees.

Any tree. Every tree.

My daughter and I were at the park the other day, and suddenly she freezes. Her eyes go big. She whispers, "Oh, I can climb that one."

Her voice is misty and dreamlike, and her face is turned upward, sort of the way I act when I see a cupcake stand.

Related: 20 places my kids have to visit before they grow up

I follow her gaze. It's an oak tree. It must have been planted during the Jackson Administration. It towers over us, its boughs rough and gnarled and calling to her in a way only kids can hear.

Climb! Climb me!

If I'm kicking around the house, maybe making dinner or tidying up, and I realize I haven't heard the kid in a couple minutes and can't find her anywhere, I know just where to look.

We have a fig tree in our back yard. It is only about 15 or so feet high, and its limbs are too saggy and fragile to climb very high. The fruit it produces each year is somehow rotten with sweetness and yet never ripe.

One year, I think,

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Kickstart your entertaining with the perfect summer playlist!

Whether you're throwing the perfect summer party, getting a summer project done or just lounging by the pool, the perfect playlist makes summer even sweeter. We've all got favorite songs from this summer's top hits - and from summers past. But here's a list of some songs to get your summer entertaining playlist started: Check them out after the break!

(If you're not sure about how to make an iTunes playlist - it's easy! Check out the simple directions.)

Here are some sounds, old and new, that you might like!


"Here Comes the Sun"
The Beatles
It's hard to have a summer playlist without this amazing, perfect song. Of course, it's easier to buy the full Abbey Road CD, but if you don't want to, you can download it from iTunes.















Related: 12 ways to build your own water park in your backyard






"Everything is Everything"
Phoenix
You've probably heard all the great tracks from their Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album, but this album

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Treat yourself to one of these great drives, islands, beach towns, lakes, or wilderness escapes .

Splashy adventures in Kremmling, CO
This a real-deal ranching town at the confluence of the Colorado, Blue, and Muddy Rivers serves up splashy outdoor adventures for summer, from rafting to dips in hot springs.
> More: Splash around in Kremmling, CO

Poolside R&R in Palm Springs, CA
Palm Springs in summer? Yep, we said it. Zero crowds, killer deals, and a pool around every corner make this the place to be.
> More: Unwind by the pool in Palm Springs, CA

Climb to your heart's content in Lander, WY
Dip into Lander, Wyoming, a cool town of climbers, killer coffee, and cowboys. Epic hiking trails also await you there.
> More: Get sporty in Lander, WY

Sizzling deals in Scottsdale, AZ
In Scottsdale, expect summer temps of triple digits with a chance of more triple digits. But hotels and resorts-even the ultraposh ones-drop their room rates by as much as two-t

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