Have the Best July Long Weekend Ever Right on Your Own Deck

The True North Strong and Free is celebrating 150 years and the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave is celebrating 241 years! If you want to avoid the frantic rush to get out-of-town for this hectic long-weekend, consider celebrating with friends and family for a good old-fashioned barbecue on your deck!

Here are our Top Tips on How to Make the Most of Your July Long Weekend:

Celebrate together. Just because you’re relaxing at home on your deck doesn’t mean you have to be antisocial. Pick up a couple bevvies and snacks, and invite your family and friends (the ones who are still left in town) over for a barbecue!

Great grilling tips:

  • Pre-heat your grill 15-25 minutes before you want to start cooking. A good pre-heat will help to kill any bacteria on the grilling racks. Use a wire brush to brush off any charred debris when the grill is hot (and scrape it again immediately after use).
  • A good pre-heated grill sears the food on contact, but keeps the insides moist and helps prevent sticking.
  • Avoid over-turning your meat. To get the ideal, caramelized barbecue crust on your meat, only turn it once or twice.
  • Don’t squish down the meat and force the juices out. That just leaves you with an overly dry protein.
  • Don’t be afraid to expand your barbecue horizons…play with pre and post cooking marinades, dry rubs, skewers, cooking in parcels, slow cooking and smoking.
  • BBQ something new. For a real taste of true north strong and free, try this homemade maple syrup barbecue sauce from ‘Taste of Home’.

Plan ahead. Get all of your errands and running around done after work during the week, so you’re not interrupting your leisure time to run to the store for that full propane tank you thought you had in the barbecue, or that one load of laundry you’ve been saying you would do tomorrow… since last Sunday. If you’re planning a get together to celebrate with family and friends, try to make that potato salad or veggie platter on Friday night, so Saturday all you have to worry about is enjoying the company of your guests.

Step away from the electronics. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, even your Pinterest boards will still be there on Tuesday. Your PVR is recording all of your favourite shows, and those emails can wait. Plus, you’ll be surrounded by company, and interacting with them should definitely be more important than Candy Crush. Want photos of your barbecue, but don’t have a conventional camera? Put your smartphone on Airplane Mode, and use your it strictly as a camera.

Outdoor living space with furnature
Your deck can be your own private get-away without fighting the crowds.

Get outside. Plan to spend a lot of your weekend in the beautiful weather that’s on its way for the weekend. Harvard Medical School says that getting outdoors helps to improve concentration, happiness, and you’ll get to soak up tons of vitamin D! So, slather on the sunscreen and enjoy your deck.

Make the most of your space. Regardless of if you have a large patio, or a small balcony, remember to make your outdoor living space your own little oasis. Whether that means having a big chair to curl up with a book on, a lounger for sunbathing, or making it a pet-friendly haven, it’s up to you!

Couple enjoying relaxing on their deck.
Fall in love with relaxing on your deck.

Remember to relax.

So often, we fill our weekends with errands and events and we forget to put our feet up. Before we know it, it’s 20 minutes to bedtime on your last day off and the long weekend is over. Long weekends give you an extra full day to kick back and enjoy the beautiful weather we’re hoping for this weekend. That being said…

Forget about what’s on your work calendar. Do it not only for your sanity, but also for your health. Removing yourself completely from the daily grind and giving your body and mind the chance to reset is very important. Research from the American Sociological Association says that some serious R&R does us a lot of good: It enhances your mood, relieves psychological stress, and when spent with friends and family, strengthens social bonds. What’s not to love?

Need Some Help with Your Outdoor Spaces?

Since your outdoor places of leisure are all about fun and relaxing, plan for outdoor spaces that do not require a lot of maintenance. To learn about the advantages of Duradek’s long-lasting, low maintenance waterproof deck surfaces, consult with an authorized Duradek dealer near you for a free, no-obligation estimate.

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