Hammock is enjoying the not-so-lazy days of summer—growing bountiful gardens and catching up on our book lists. The July/August issue of American Spirit, the national magazine we publish for the Daughters of the American Revolution, offers hints for planning another favorite summer activity: family reunions.

Summer Huggins offers tips for capturing family members in beautiful settings and more flattering poses than those in typical family albums. We also map out an all-American table accented with red, white and blue desserts that promise to impress your summer guests. (I feel compelled to tell you that slightly healthier recipes are available on our Team Hammock pages devoted to local food.)

This issue of American Spirit also describes an exciting project now under way in Colonial Williamsburg: the restoration of a historic coffeehouse. (We’re big coffee drinkers around here, so any time the word is mentioned, we perk up.) Charlton’s Coffeehouse was built in the mid-18th century as a gathering place where locals could talk politics and current events. It even became the setting for a public uprising over the Stamp Act in 1765. As the popularity of coffeehouses has increased, interest in reconstructing Charlton’s Coffeehouse has also grown. Our feature describes the extensive process involved in rebuilding an 18th-century structure on its original foundation, as well as the lessons the coffeehouse can teach us about the social and political life of Williamsburg during the period before the American Revolution. You can even watch the progress at Williamsburg’s Webcam.