7 Ways To Build A Great Bonfire--And No, It Has Nothing To Do With Either Tom Hanks Or Melanie Griffith

Summertime is cottage time; and cottage time is bonfire time. And because 'bonfire' means 'good fire' (rather than the bad, out of control kind), it's important that you follow safety rules when building, lighting, and maintaining one. 

1. Build a simple pit area to shape the boundary of your fire: You need to make sure you have a boundary area for your fire that prevents it from spreading beyond control. The pit area also functions as a 'place' for you and your guests to sit around, roast marshmallows, and have conversation. You can use rocks or bricks to build one; and make it about 3-5 inches high.

2. Use dry wood: When wood is dry it lights well, and thus you don't have to use lighter fluid or other chemicals to get the fire going. 

3. Use lighter fluid sparingly: If you must use some sort of lighter fluid, make sure you use only a little so that you don't have a monstrous igniting flame that curls eyebrows and melts belts. Avoid using gasoline or other strong flammants. 

4. Keep children away: it's easy to get your kids around the fire for marshmallows, but it's also easy for them to fall in, especially little ones. Keep a rule that there is absolutely no running around the fire; and keep close eye on your children when roasting marshmallows.

5. Avoid excessive alcohol or other intoxicants: when you're inebriated you're more likely to become drowsy and lose judgement. While it's nice to have a drink around the fire, having too many is unsafe, increasing the risk of injury and accident.

6. Snuff it out: When you're done with the fire, or retreating to your cabin for the night, put out the fire-especially when you have children, for it doesn't take much for one to slip outside in the night and accidentally slip into the fire. 

7. Enjoy it: It's a good fire--a 'bonfire'--and something humans have been doing for tens of thousands of years. There is a primordiality to making and keeping and gathering around such fires. Enjoy them; make them often; share good times around them. By keeping these basic safety rules you'll ensure that the bonfire remains a good fire.