We aren’t sure if the term lawn “sport” is really accurate since you’re practically required to have one hand on a cold beverage for the duration of the competition. Regardless of what you call it, these games are precisely what the backyard was created for.
Kubb
Have some Brannvin and sing a round of “Helan Gar” while you play this Swedish lawn game that claims to date back to the Vikings. Use your Battle Axes to knock over all of your opponent’s Shields and you’re a conqueror. Probably the most addicting game you’ve never played.
Cornhole
The name still prompts some scoffing, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from knowing the sweet feeling of winning a game by your bag going straight through the hole without touching the board.
Bocce
The Italian bowling game for old men is having quite a renaissance these days. The eight balls and a pallino can really be played on any type of surface (sand, dirt, grass), allowing you to mix up the speed and approach to the game.
Croquet
The decidedly English pastime of hitting balls with a mallet through hoops staked in the grass. Your form is always better with a Pimms in hand.
More: check out these videos by Tretorn on how to play Bocce and Croquet.
While most film cameras have virtually disappeared from the amateur photography market, the Diana camera, a cult favorite from the 60s and 70s, has, to the delight of photographers, returned. The original made a splash almost by accident: the camera’s cheap construction – the plastic lens allowed light to leak in the camera body that created odd color palettes, slightly blurred photos, and low contrast and resolution – lent themselves to more artistic photographs. This allowed users to play with formats, pinhole shots and angles before Photoshop existed. Discontinued in the late 70s, the Diana gradually became a mantle-piece rather than a functional device.
Now, however, Lomography has reconstructed the Diana camera, bringing back the cheap plastic lens and its singular artistic abilities with a reconstruction that borders on obsessive. All the light-weight camera’s (perfect) imperfections remain intact on the new model, which offers variable shutter speeds, a removable lens for super-wide angle pinhole shots, 12-shot, 16-shot and several panoramic formats (creating both square and rectangular prints), and a commitment to photos with a color-drenched, dream-like quality. The 2010 Diana comes backed with a 2-year international warranty and retails for $60.
SodaStream Genesis
Spice up the bar at your next warm-weather gathering with the SodaStream Genesis, a simple machine that carbonates flat beverages, be it water, juice or a cocktail.
The Genesis requires no electricity, which means it doesn’t have to take up limited counter space, and by using it you eliminate extra bottles on the bar or around the house post party.
Finally, you can find a host of affordable concentrates on the SodaStream website that allow you to create your own colas, tonics, fruit or energy drinks.
Finding a quality gas grill at an affordable price is not always an easy task.
On the spectrum of options, you have the cheap, low-quality units folks buy for vacation properties, but when you go to use them, they either don’t work, half the unit catches fire, or some component of the grill (like the temperature knob) is out-of-whack and the flame chars your meat.
On the other end, there are incredibly expensive, boat-size units that do everything but the dishes. However, aside from the ridiculous price, most backyard cooks just don’t need the size and features these units offer.
So, for those that are looking for a practical, reliable and affordable grill, we have a favorite; the Brinkmann 810-8411-5. Its predecessor, the 810-8410S, ranked third on Consumer Reports’ “recommended” list of mid-size grills.
Both have four main burners, each with an individual control, a side burner for pots, skillets, etc, an igniter, a fold-out front tray for beverages/plates, a bottle opener, two side shelves and each costs only $200 from the Home Depot.
We have been using the 810-8410S grill for the past two years with no problems, the igniter fires up every time, the burners produce even heat, and nothing has cracked, broken – or must importantly – caught fire.
So much of cooking is figuring out how to infuse food with flavor while keeping it moist and tender. On a grill, with its slotted grates and open flame, this often proves difficult unless you plan to smoke your fare, but smoking isn’t for all situations. Fortunately, top culinary shop Sur La Table has developed a solution to this dilemma.
The Moistly Grilled Cast Iron Grill Humidifiers are fire proof repositories for your choice liquid (beer, wine, juice, water) that flank your meat and shower it with delicious steam. A set of two runs $30, and with Spring upon us, now is a great time to fire up the grill.
