If you’re looking for a river respite, Russian River Getaways may be the place for you. Located in Guerneville along the Russian River, these rental homes are all dog friendly. Not only can your pet frolic in the relaxing River, but you can also take in the stunning redwoods, wineries and leash-free beaches all just 70 miles north of San Francisco.

The camping enthusiast can enjoy staying closer to home at Leo Carrillo State Park Campground off of the Pacific Coast Highway. This site offers space for both tents and RV campers. It’s located near a dog-friendly beach as well as tide pools.

Or head east to Palm Springs. The Caliente Tropics Resort allows dogs at an extra cost of $20 a night. The Palm Springs dog park, located behind City Hall, boasts a 1.6 acre off-leash playground. And you will love being able to see the scenic dessert views at The Purple Palm, which will also provide your dog with a bowl of water when you eat on their patio.

Dogs deserve their days of summer too!

LOS FELIZ—The name is a little odd, but that’s no reason to shun Tangier Korean BBQ, of Tokyo: a fun spot offering a close-to-authentic Korean barbecue experience. With Japanese pop decor, Korean fare and a leftover Moroccan name, it’s a uniquely L.A. spot that’s fun for groups and families.

The former Tangier lounge is a large space, with a bar in front, a private room to the side and a dining area with spacious booths with Korean-style wooden dividers. Life-sized anime statutes greet diners at the door, and the walls are lined with colorful Japanese comicbook-style murals.

The menu will be familiar to Korean barbecue fans. Pick either a set dinner or a selection of meats, all of which come with a vast array of panchan side dishes, which include cabbage and cucumber kimchi, potato salad, marinated tofu, bean sprouts, black beans, seaweed, anchovies and broccoli leaves.

The meat is the main attraction, although non-beef-eaters can grill up chicken, seafood or vegetables. It’s hard to pass up the weekday deal of $24.99 for unlimited Kobe beef, since that meal also includes chicken and pork kalbi (short ribs). Set meals are huge, adding salad, sashimi and soup to the parade of meats.

One nice touch is a plate of fresh vegetables for grilling included with the Kobe meal, including squash, mushrooms, asparagus and carrots, which make a nice break from the meat. Unlike some spots where the servers frequently check the grills, diners here grill their own meats, which takes some concentration with thinner, quick-cooking meats.

The well-marbled Kobe Harami slices are a buttery, tender marvel, tucked into a lettuce wrap with a dab of salty soy paste. Sliced chicken breast doesn’t  stand up as well to the grill—skip it if possible and concentrate on beef.

Bigger appetites can also choose from traditional Korean dishes like bibimbap, kimchi stew and seafood pancakes.

Some dishes seem less spicy than their Koreatown counterparts— the heat might be a little toned down for the Los Feliz crowd, but the food still has plenty of flavor.

Meals average $25-$30 a person before alcohol, but the nearly-endless procession of meats means there’s no chance of leaving hungry. Sure, there are plenty of choices for Korean BBQ just a few miles away, but Tangier Korean BBQ brings some welcome variety to the Los Feliz dining scene.

Tangier Korean BBQ of Tokyo, 2138 Hillhurst Ave. (323) 663-2000.

The moon is absent during the peak night of the Perseid meteor shower, making this a good year to watch the event. The peak is on Thursday night/Friday morning, August 12th and 13th. While a few meteors are visible from the northeast starting at about 11:00 p.m., the greatest numbers—around one per minute—come between 1:00 a.m. and 4:45 a.m.–the start of dawn. A fairly strong, but somewhat reduced, shower should be visible the next night (Friday night/Saturday morning), again at its best between 1:00 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. Remember that the greatest numbers of meteors are visible only from wilderness regions far from city light pollution, such as are found in mountain or desert campgrounds. Use a deck chair or chaise lounge to relax look up nearly overhead to the east or northeast.

The brilliant planet Venus and the fainter planets Mars and Saturn are in close formation during the early evening throught the first three weeks of the month.  Conditions for observing are best, looking low in the west at 8:40 p.m. The group is most attractive  on the 12th, when the planets are joined by a slender crescent moon.

The moon is at last-quarter phase on the 2nd, reaches new on the 9th, is at first quarter on the 16th, and is full on the 24th, two nights before passing just north of Jupiter.

Bright planet Jupiter, in Pisces the Fishes, has cleared the horizon and is easy to see, low in the east, by 10:00 p.m. at midmonth. Jupiter is highest in the south just before dawn. Binoculars will show you Jupiter’s 4 largest moons. The distant planet Uranus appears as a star as bright as one of these moons less than 3 degrees to the west (right) of Jupiter this month.

So far this summer, we’ve covered two types of refreshing drinks to ward off the heat: mezcal, which can be a fancy blended tequila substitute, or rocks margaritas, and crisp rosés, which can add an element of sophistication to backyard barbecues.

But there are times when a cold one is the only option. For those triple-digit scorchers that call for something a little stronger than water but nowhere near as potent as hard liquor or even wine, nothing hits the spot like a light-bodied summer brew.

Sure, staples like Corona or Red Stripe are a safe bet, but there’s also a whole industry of truly seasonal beers created especially for summer; the opposite of the heavy, highly alcoholic porters and stouts favored in winter. Sometimes cheekily referred to as “lawn mower beers,” producers both big and small are increasingly in on the action.

Previously at the forefront of the craft beer movement and now the largest American-owned brewery in the country, Samuel Adams produces a summer ale that is widely available from April through August. Notes of lemon zest are complemented by Grains of Paradise, a West African peppery spice with purportedly aphrodisiac properties.

Newcastle is in its second year of summer ale production, following a successful debut in 2009. For lovers of the trademark “Castle browns,” this lighter, hoppier, citrus-centric style represents a radical departure, but has served to introduce a new audience to the brand.

Central Coast brewery Firestone Walker’s first official entry into the summer ale category, Solace, is a tangerine-scented, slightly clove-y unfiltered brew combining the styles of Belgian Farmhouse ales with Bavarian wheat beers.

Out of Bend, Oregon, Deschutes Brewery took their summer ale, Twilight, as a challenge to make a truly interesting lighter-style beer, which is available from May to September.

Colorado’s New Belgium, best known for Fat Tire, also makes a popular summer beer called Skinny Dip, an au naturale Cascade hoppy sensation with Kaffir lime overtones.

Tara de Lis is a freelance writer who lives in Hollywood.