Jon had been telling us all for a month that he was going to catch a shark at the beach.
Well , he did it! He really wanted to cook it and eat it too but was voted down on that!
We were so lucky (blessed!) to have perfect weather with plenty of sun and no rain.
The water was not as cold as I expected and most of the kids got in. I never went deeper than my ankles but enjoyed that thoroughly. Long beach walks along the surf are so relaxing and many people, including myself, did that daily.
As always, the sand is so much fun to play in.
Tori and Brandon, who are melanin challenged, took the time to set up this umbrella.
Natalie invited lovely Lynnie to join us again and she was terrific to have along.
Larry isn't much on sand, so he occasionally took a "Madden" break. He loves football and this is the one game that he loves to play.
John suffered a painful sunburn on the first full day outside and was unable to go out for the rest of the week. I hope that this experience teaches us to remember to use the sunscreen, but it seems that we have to re-learn that lesson again every year.
Jon and Brandon took the sea kayaks out and brought both them and themselves back safely!
My "beach read" was
To Try Men's Souls by Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen, recommended to me by my son, Greg. It is about how the writings of Thomas Paine (
Common Sense and
The American Crisis) influenced and gave motivation to the American Revolution. It takes place on Christmas Night, December, 1776. Sunshine Patriots they were not!!!! I could not believe the suffering and abject misery it described as the soldiers crossed the Delaware River in boats and forded near-freezing creeks in the howling wind and driving, relentless rain. It was a complete contrast to the warm leisure that I was experiencing. Although the quality of the writing wasn't the best I've ever read, it certainly accomplished its mission and gave me even more admiration and respect for George Washington.As if that were possible!
These oleander bushes smelled like heaven. Apparently they are poisonous so, I didn't eat any. Haha- just wanted to see if you were still reading!
Each person in our group had someone to hang out with while swimming!
The pool was a blast and again, warmer than expected!
This pool can be accessed by walking from the front street (about 5 houses down) or from the beach.
I glanced out the window and saw our party walking home from the pool and thought it was very sweet.
The evenings were also pleasant.The young people sat out on the deck to chat and enjoy beverages.Coffee was our adult beverage inside the house and we went through 4 pots a day.
Since it was vacation, we kept ice cream and waffle cones in stock for snacking.We ate well all week, making simple, homemade meals in this wonderful kitchen.Our mantra was "This is our vacation. We work hard all year and this week we will enjoy ourselves." That was very easy to do in these beautiful surroundings.
Boxers and Briefs and Yahtzee were the games of choice.
We had so much fun at the Beach House. It sleeps 15 people. We had a master bedroom, a bedroom for our married couple and their son, a bedroom for the single guys and the largest one for all the girls. Each bedroom has very nice bathrooms. Later in the week, Jeff arranged for a special outing for the young people which will be the topic of my next post.
