Martha Stewart Living July/August 2018

I’VE ALWAYS LOVED THE WATER, and I have my parents to thank for that. When I wasn’t swimming in it, I was learning to sail on it during Wisconsin’s brief (and precious) summer months. Each August, our club had a family banquet to commend all the junior sailors who had spent the past eight weeks mastering basic knots, navigating the buoys, and righting tipped dinghies. For the racing students, awards like the Commodore’s Trophy were doled out to the fastest among us with great fanfare by—you guessed it—the commodore. But one year, my instructors decided to create a special distinction just for me: the Leisure Award. As the head instructor (who pronounced the word “lehz-jurr,” though he wasn’t at all British) explained to a packed dining room: “Elizabeth likes to…

| ON THE ROAD | TO A TEE You can take in some of the country’s most stunning vistas from the comfort of a golf cart, whether you’re a par-three type or practically a pro. The Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, in Florida, features a dramatic island green (shown) and an Atlantic-oceanfront course, plus a daily clinic to get you swinging. Here, three more fine fairways. Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida pontevedra.com KOLOA, KAUAI, HAWAII Sand traps are just one obstacle on the tropical Poipu Bay course. It’s designed around ancient heiau (worship sites) and stone walls, too. poipubaygolf.com WASHINGTON, D.C. See the Washington Monument from a less touristy POV: the family-friendly East Potomac Golf Course, run by the National Park Service. golfdc.com PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF. Crashing waves, panoramic cliffs, and dense Del Monte Forest trails make the serious golfer’s…

Duolingo To prep for a trip abroad, flip through e–flash cards to ace vocabulary basics, then listen to podcasts or join a local meet-up to practice in person. duolingo.com Google Translate Handy once you’ve hit the ground, this app offers instant translations of live conversations, texts, and photos of street signs and menus. translate.google.com Busuu If your goal is to learn Mandarin or excel in Arabic or Italian, this is your best bet. For about six dollars a month, you can take up to 75 quick courses and talk or text with native speakers. busuu.com Gus on the Go! Kids follow a globetrotting owl through playful lessons on shapes, numbers, and colors in 30 languages. gusonthego.com…

I AM A REALLY LUCKY GRANDMOTHER. My two grandchildren, Jude, age 7; and Truman, age 6, have become such avid travelers and adventurers that planning new family trips is both a joy and a challenge. I never would have guessed seven years ago that I would be scouring travel magazines for more amazing places to visit. A few years ago, we flew to Ecuador and went to the Galápagos, where Jude and Truman practiced their Spanish and discovered so much about these fascinating islands. We photographed iguanas and blue-footed boobies; mourned Lonesome George, the giant Pinta Island tortoise who had died since my previous visit, 20 years prior; and learned about environmental stresses on the wildlife, which, sadly, had been much more plentiful when I was last there. The following year,…

| QUICK CRAFT | Shooting Stars Create this celestial centerpiece by just pressing two beeswax sheets together, trimming out star shapes with cookie cutters, and inserting skewers. To use them as candles on a birthday cake, first place wick string between the beeswax layers. | THE FIND | Proper Toppers The dishes in your backyard spread deserve prettier bug protect ion than aluminum foil. These mesh and woven tents by Amanda Lindroth (in four styles; from $30 each, amandalindroth.com) are an elegant fix: They keep bees and flies out while elevating any barbecue. | RECIPE REMIX | Eureka! That’s what the food editors in our test kitchen exclaimed, echoing the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes, after they put this zesty Mediterranean spin on traditional seven-layer dip. Serve it with pita chips for a party starter that’s (nearly) as delightful…

GO GRAPHIC For a modern, creative vibe, mix black-and-white items with earthy accents, like a leafy pillow and stoneware chimes. JOIN THE NAVY Combine oceanic hues and rope motifs (imprinted on a side table, traversing a rug) to anchor a crisp nautical setting. WIN $10K To get help creating your own backyard paradise, visit marthastewart.com/10kbackyard and enter to win $10,000. For details, see page 121. PETER ARDITO (3, 8); COURTESY OF MANUFACTURERS (OTHERS). PETER ARDITO (GRAPHIC 2, 4, 5; NAVY 4); COURTESY OF MANUFACTURERS (OTHERS)…