The warm temperatures and the parade of cars could mean only one thing. It was time to stop standing at the kitchen counter eating ice cream straight out of the container. Wearing our brightest masks, we got into the lines — now longer for being safely spread out — for long-awaited summer treats. We added Orleans to our usual four-town coverage because, when it comes to ice cream, you never know where the need may arise. One writer welled up remembering the time a first lick sent her double dip to the asphalt. She would never go back to the shop that made her pay for a do-over. We decided to add “What’s your dropped-cone policy?” to our survey questions and found nothing but generosity. Homemade and otherwise, here are our writers’ dairy joys. —Teresa Parker