Showing posts with label on holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label on holiday. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Paradise in Massachusetts





Before my life gets sucked into the vortex of school, I have to post about our incredible time at Cape Cod last week. Our friends Susannah & Brian invited us up to Susla's mom's house in Truro, close to the tip of Cape Cod, for not quite a week of heaven. Alexandra had never made a car trip that long, and while she did scream for almost 3 hours of the drive up (1am-3:30am), when we woke the next morning to views of Cape Cod Bay...sigh. Let's just say that my eardrums recovered almost instantaneously.

I was born and bred on Southern beaches. In fact, I have a hard time getting in the water north of the Mason Dixon line--too cold! I'll lay in the beach, get hot, and wade in up to my knees before retreating to the sand and being the Southern Belle Punk. I'll wish I was at the Outer Banks and silently curse the North under my breath.

But the Cape was different. With a few days of perspective now, I have decided that it's magic. I actually swam in the ocean and the bay--the water was temperate. The light there...it's like you're in another dimension. It's warm and makes every photograph you take look perfect. The stars were outlandish; it's hard to believe that they're out there all the time, but we just can't see them in NYC. The air smelled so good; it was like rehab for my lungs. Amazing.

Our kids, Ezra & Alexandra, loved all over each other, had stroller races on the deck, played in the sand and water of the bay, a pond, the tidepools, and the ocean. They had love fests in the kitchen, quarreled a bit over the strollers, bathed in the same tub, and fed each other food during mealtimes. It was too cute. They slept like logs after days in the sun, and we ate, drank, and caught up during those night hours.

Even though we were gone for less than a week, it felt like longer. When we got back to Brooklyn, before rejoining the pulse of city life, we noted the grey/blue sky, the dirtiness, and the smogg-y air in contrast to the Cape, and then slipped effortlessly back into city life.

Thanks Susannah, Brian, Ezra (and Polly!) for such a great conclusion to the summer!

Friday, August 8, 2008

vacation moochers, chapter 1




this summer we are vacation moochers.

i'm not sure how dictionary.com would define mooching, but here is what we are doing: we have generous friends who either rent or have good beach real estate, they invite us to come along, and we unabashedly squeal, "Hell to the YES!" and we're there. we show up with baby in tow, buy groceries and stuff to help out, and pray that our charm doesn't wear off.

our first vacation mooching (of only two--we're not that out of control) was a visit to sound beach, on the north shore of strong---ahem, long---island to hang with amy, james, and sammy. the house was great, the view better, and james' cooking, as always, was the best. i felt like i needed to go to fat camp after our 3 days there.

some highlights of our trip =
soft shell crabs
drinking multiple drinks while watching the sun set
stories of amy in africa
babies kissing
beach glass
jared, the 9 year old stalker
pork chops, portabellos, and peaches
the color survey

THANKS amy, james, and sammy!
smooches.