ee's Best of Summer 2008

Hands down, taking Eve to the beach and watching her speed race into the ocean with zero inhibition or fear! Truly, it was beautiful to watch  and be part of (albeit a tad scary, too). The sound of her laughter is as clear to me today as when she was splashing in the waves! She truly  loved the beach and now brings out her bathing suit and says, "For the beach, Mama?" Eve won't be able to remember this vacation most    likely; however, I have pictures that exquisitely capture our vacation    at Rehoboth this year. Seems like so much good comes from this little beach town. We love it!  - Elena

                                               

As I have become older (and an older Mom!), summer has snuck in to become my favorite season. For so many years, I longed for those crisp mornings of the Fall that brought with them the notion of the kids going back to school. Now, however, I cherish these lazy, fun-filled days of summer that quite frankly aren't too lazy at all. 

We have started a tradition the past few years of kicking off the summer with an eastern shore beach vacation. There is this wonderful house in Rehoboth, Delaware that we have kind of adopted. And, at least this year, it was the highlight of our summer.The cottage is located in a residential neighborhood about four blocks from the beach and the famous Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk.

And that is what makes this experience particularly special. There are friendly lifelong residents and a street lined with older homes of manicured lawns and abundant flower gardens. If there weren't an ocean at the end of the street, you'd swear you were in your grandmother's neighborhood-it's that quiet and sweet! It takes my sister and me back to a time of simplicity when you would sit outside on summer afternoons, listening to the singing cicadas and waiting for the ring of the ice cream truck. It is like stepping back in time.

Now toss in all our children, the grandparents, family friends and MORE friends; mix it with morning bike rides; big bacon and pancake breakfasts; sandy beach excursions; boardwalk games and rides; crab feasts; and top it with a walk together in the late evenings for soft ice cream and truly, what more could you ask for?

I sigh a BIG sigh at this memory and my heart looks forward to our visit again next year.
 
- Elizabeth 

           
 
                                               Summer of '68 Redux
 
Since I recently left Nashville, TN after more than 15 years and resettled in a sleepy, small town in the Shenandoah Valley, the trip to Grandma's house (mine) is no longer 680 miles, but a mere 80-mile scenic drive. And this summer, a visit rekindled the sweetest memories of  the Summer of '68.
 
Only a few weeks ago, I suddenly was no longer the grandmother of      five, aging gracefully (for the most part); I was an excited 23-year-old mother of three getting winded inflating a vinyl pool as my two older children - Elizabeth at four and her brother Michael just two (Elena was  an infant) - danced around the sprinkler in glee, anticipating toddler cannonballs and gigantic perfect waves!
 
But my eyes deceived the summer haze of my memory.  These children were not Lizzie the Lizard and Michael, Michael Motorcycle! Here were three happy, squealing sprites - my grandchildren - Julienne and   almost-twin cousins Evie and Christian. As their mothers and I     watched and listened, we were each immersed in the old memories      that peeked out of mental photo albums - even as new memories were being developed before our eyes.
 
We laughed and giggled. Elizabeth and Elena seemed like kids again, and   I witnessed another generation making a memory that will someday become the Summer of '08 Redux.
-Linda

                 
 
                                The Summer of Ocean, the Baby Sea Turtle
 
It was like something out of The Wonder Pets. Maybe Go, Diego Go! My four-year-old son, my sister, and I were in the ocean on the very first day of our vacation when all of a sudden, my sister exclaims, "Look, Rangeley! A turtle!" And it was. But not just any turtle. It was a loggerhead sea turtle hatchling who had crawled out of a buried nest in the dunes on the Isle of Palms, SC the night before and made his exhausting journey down to the surf-and then gotten stuck in the current, apparently. When we found the baby turtle in pretty shallow water late in the afternoon he was clearly not where he was supposed to be. So anyone who doesn't believe in providence, good luck, or that things happen for a reason, read on.
 
That morning I had been reading up on the island's several turtle nests. They're a big deal around the barrier islands of SC, what with loggerheads being federally protected endangered species and all. I was trying to find out if there were any turtle-y activities my preschooler might participate in-you know, education, nature, a little local culture. My husband rolled his eyes. In my research, I just so happened to read about what to do in the event that you discover one of these cute (they really are, I'm not kidding) creatures in distress. My sister ran for the bucket, which we filled with sand and some water, and we brought him home-temporarily of course, until the IOP policeman came to pick up the little guy at our cottage (another big deal that perhaps rivaled the sea turtle in my son's estimation).
 
I admit I took some photos first, but baby Ocean (so named by Rangeley "because he lives in the ocean") was released that night under the moon (navigation) during optimal tidal conditions. Loggerhead sea turtles can live to be about fifty years old if they make it past the perilous first hours of their lives. That means that some day, Ocean might be out there swimming when my little boy is visiting the beach with his own family, both of them all grown up. So best family vacation memory? Being animal rescuers (just like in Rangeley's favorite shows) and sharing a memory to last a lifetime without even planning it. -Keaghan

 

                       

                                     Mommy's Gone to the Beach                                                           (and now she needs a vacation!)  

My laugh-friendly memory of the summer is my family's traditional beach trip. It is a time of great fun for my children, and I'm truly grateful to be able to provide them this opportunity. For me, it is also quite stressful and expensive for two or three days at the beach. I ask, "Did you bring?", "Do you have?" and say, "Make sure you remember" over and over the morning we depart. In turn, during our three-hour drive, I listen to their complaints: "He's bothering me," "Stop it!", "I'm hungry," and, "are we almost there??"

The days go by very quickly, and the kids always want to stay longer. I truthfully explain to them that I need to get back to work. And within that truth is a deeper truth that reads, "Mommy needs a rest!"  -BlapherMJ