Shedding shoes is a summer ritual that belongs to the young and young at heart. And this is the time of year for it. In New England we bare legs in the spring but still cling to the winter ways of socks and shoes. Soon our shoes are replaced by flip flops and open sandals.

But in summer, shoes are for venturing downtown, while closer to home, both on the lawn and at the beach, bare feet are the footwear of choice. Warm, golden sand turns an end-of-the-day walk into a distinctly tactile experience. Wrack lines of seaweed make a pleasant outdoor carpet for traipsing barefoot. And cool green grass underfoot stirs memories of childhood summers.

The season for kicking off shoes is short-lived, but one to savor nonetheless.