My Summer Sloth: A beach house Adventure

It seems as the temperatures outside spikes over one hundred, my desire to write with a hot computer on my lap decreased the way a woman who just a had a baby wants to turn around and make another one... or something like that.

Perhaps I just got lazy, or distracted. 

It could have been that now that my 11 month old is crawling and cruising, I've had my hands full trying to keep my eldest from playing too rough with her.

She'll be tough.  With a brother like hers, and a godfather who will have it no other way, she'll have no choice.  It'll be second nature.

Speaking of nature...  I'll turn this post into talking about the Beach House.

(It's the cute blue one in the center behind the dune)

When I married my husband, part of his dowry ( if you want to call it that) was that his family owns an adorable beach Cottage on The Long Island Sound.  It's old and small, and falling apart, but it's perfect.  More love and elbow grease goes into that house in two weeks, than goes into the cleaning of our own homes in an entire year.  His parents lived there for a time, and summered there just like they did in the old movies.

Now, after all the hard work that gets put into it each year preparing it to get rented out for the season, we each get a week to enjoy it either pre-season or post-season.  We gather our closest friends, firewood, fun food recipes, and our family and camp out in the non-insulated house that love built ( and sustains)

This year the weather was wonderful, cool, but not too cold that we didn't go swimming. (or playing in the water rather, it really was too cold to for a full submerge)

My kids are both water babies.  They would rather be wet than dry, and that includes fountains, creeks, rain, bathtime, and...the LI Sound.  Hopefully soon we'll get back down to visit my parents and friends in Florida - Daniel would LOVE the ocean.


The cottage hold many memories, and has few places to play indoors - the porch however, is a centerplace for morning coffee/tea, shade in the heat of the day, a place to lunch, and, a semi-sand free place for a new crawler:

Then there's the water... when the tide goes out the sand bars hold hours of enjoyment from clamming, paintball duels, sailing, and kayaking, to Frisbee, long walks, digging, sunbathing, and of course, playing in the water.

Daniel's favorite thing in the world is throwing things into the water.  He can do this for hours at a time.

He'll steal dog toys from from their mouths...we're working on that.  So far, all the animals he's stolen from have been kid friendly - he can't be that lucky forever... 

There are campfires:

And more water fun:,

 And then they rest...

 If there is one sentiment that we all share, it's that we never want to leave.  I think this last picture pretty much sums up how we feel when it's time to clean up, dry off, and pack up:

Until next year, beach house...  until next year.

*sigh.