Beach 2014

So we got back from the beach yesterday evening (I wrote most of this on Saturday - posting today, though), unloaded a ton of stuff, showered, cleaned, got really tired, went to bed, and cleaned our house top to bottom today. Phew! It feels SO good to be all cleaned, unpacked, and relaxed in our new, beautiful,clean home.

So to extend our beach trip a little bit, I thought I'd relax after all that work and write about our week. I love the beach. LOVE. You can't help but feel happy, relaxed, and at ease there. No one is in a bad mood there. Everyone's chill.

That being said, vacations are a TON of work (the prep, the packing - I hate packing!, the getting there and getting back, the unpacking, the cleaning) and they can be expensive, too. But I love the beach, so where's a transporter when you want one?

We visited Delaware for a beautiful week at the beach. We've been going there every year in a row for 5 years so far, plus we went with friends a few years before that streak as well. We're becoming pros at knowing the ins and outs of spending time there.

The weather can be cooler or warmer at this time of year. Generally, though, it's beautiful. We got great weather this year!

We love our off-season beach trips for several reasons: they're cheaper; it's less crowded for traffic and parking; the weather is beautiful; parking is free; restaurants have deals enticing locals back after tourist seasons; shops offer discounts because it's after summer; beach rentals are plentiful and far less expensive; we can take our dog on the beach all day; the beach is essentially ours. I mean, sure there are others there, but it's so NOT crowded. Lots of space between everyone . . . friendly people . . . beautiful weather . . . dogs . . . sandy beach . . . dolphins . . . it's lovely.

We have certain traditions there - candy shops we like, restaurants we love, go karts we ride. Oh, and it's all tax-free shopping down there, by the way. Mostly, our day-to-day vacationing goes like this:

Sleep in.
Leisurely eat breakfast and get ready.
Mark packs us delicious lunches using food we buy at Trader Joe's on the way there.
Get to beach late morning.
Eat lunch/snacks there (food always tastes better at the beach), read books, play in sand, read more, play in waves, listen to music, sit and think, read more, stare at beautiful ocean, take pictures, see dolphins, read, walk on beach, collect sea shells, play frisbee, sit and talk, relax . . . you get the idea.
ALL DAY LONG.
Then around dinner time, we reluctantly decide to pack up our stuff and go back to our beach house to change for dinner.
We pick an always-fantastic restaurant for dinner and eat great meals.
We walk around the boardwalk shops - candy shops, book shops, souvenir shops, fudge shops, t-shirt shops, popcorn shops, taffy shops, ice cream shops, etc. and get some kind of dessert to enjoy while we browse.
Back to the beach house for games and/or movies.
Get to bed whenever and sleep in again.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

So relaxing. So delicious. So beautiful.

Day 1 - Sunday

Drove down. Listened to "Hoot" (book on tape) and music. Stopped at Trader Joe's. Arrived. Explored beach house. Ate at Grotto's. Enjoyed a sunset walk on the beach. Saw dolphins swimming in pods. Back to the house to watch Sherlock.

This is how we pack entertainment for the week - games, movies, books

White sausage pizza, beach fries, and birch beer - tradition!

Sunset at Dewey Beach

Day 2 - Monday

Tea and cinnamon crumpets for breakfast (no kidding!). Beach, beach, beach! Read, relaxed, enjoyed. Collected sea shells. Mark and the kids dug a hole. Walked around bookstore. Dinner at Lula Brazil - a new restaurant that had just opened two weeks prior, but that already had such amazing reviews, we couldn't resist. It was INCREDIBLE. Candy shop for taffy. Movies at home.

Our view - so beautiful!

The sky - GORGEOUS!

My beautiful girl

My fun-loving boy

 

Playing Frisbee

Our spot :)

Frisbee

Playing Frisbee with the cute little boy we got to know all week

Middle Grade section of our beach bookstore

Young Adult section of our beach bookstore

Walking around the beach shops

The kids had AMAZING Brazilian-style burgers with DELICIOUS Yucca Fries. I had feijoada with grilled halibut. Incredible!

So Mark had their house dish - it was so bizarre and it totally worked. Grilled whole squid stuffed with plantains and farofa. Delicious! We also got a delicious black bean soup with garlic cream sauce, an appetizer plate of salgadinhos (savory treats like I used to get in cafes in Portugal), a special Brazilian drink, and a guava dessert. All amazing. Our waiter was really great and he brought the owner over to speak with us. She was so nice!

Day 3 - Tuesday

Beach. Warm day. Frisbee, read, ate. Mark and Max made the hole bigger. Mark and I went for a 2-mile walk on the beach with Scout. Claws for shellfish. Coldstone for ice cream. Strolled around candy shops.

Our happy doggie! She loves to sit in the sand, but also occasionally steals our seats.

Love, love, LOVE having my feet in the sand. And foot snuggling. :)

Me and my honey

Reading at the beach - aaaaaah!

Scout and my shadow

I LOVE THE BEACH!

Mark made Boba Fett. There's my shadow again.

This guy was SO fun to watch - he was on a surfboard and attached to that parasail, and he did such awesome tricks.

More Frisbee

Playing with the seagulls

Traditional shellfish dinner at Claws - eating on the patio

She got surf. He got turf. Also? Great sides. Hush puppies. Dirty rice. Corn on the cob. Garlic mashed. And we all shared a bowl of creamy crab bisque beforehand. We all share everything. It's more fun that way and we all get to try lots of stuff.

A huge bucket of crabs! Mark works hard for us every year cracking delicious blue crabs complete with drawn butter.

Ice cream on the boardwalk

Day 4 - Wednesday

Beach. Read, ate, listened to music. Mark and Max dug another hole. So fun to animal and people watch at the beach. We made friends all week with a family from Pittsburgh who was also there for the week. We were near each other on the beach every day. We didn't take many pictures this day - we simply enjoyed the beach. Greek for dinner - fantastic place! One of our favorites this trip. Truffles for dessert from a candy shop. More taffy. Got some t-shirts. Finished Sherlock.

Gyro platter after sharing dolmas and a falafel appetizer with hummus and tzatziki.

Gyro - DELICIOUS shaved meat, as it should be!

Grilled lamb entree platter with rice and tzatziki and naan and a skewer of shrimp, all made with middle eastern spices!

Mousaka - Turkish style - served with Naan, rice, and tzatziki sauce

Day 5 - Thursday

Stopped at some shops (got another gyro for the beach and all shared it as part of our lunch). Beach. Family pictures. Played frisbee. Read. Saw sea turtles (dead) :( wash up on shore. Rode waves. Skimboarded. Played tag. Saw more dolphins (lots!). Read. We're always so reluctant to leave the beach when it gets closer to going home. We played with our friends from Pittsburgh (Max especially makes friends anywhere we go - he talks to anyone and is friendly to all). Walked the shops a bit on the boardwalk. Jake's for dinner. Starbuck's for salted caramel hot cocoa and frozen hot chocolate. Back to beach house to play 221B Baker Street game.

Scout was especially feisty this trip.

Love this picture

This one, too!

Cute kids!

Mark bought me this cute, navy blue vintage swimsuit (I love the vintage ones!).

She's so cute!!

Playing Frisbee with our Pittsburgh friends

 

Scout keeping watch

Frisbee with friends

This is a picture of the beach to the right of our seats - not crowded.

This is a picture of the beach to the left of our seats - very, very not crowded. Very, very chill.

Braving the waves

Timing the waves

See Kate?

Scout watches

See Scout?

Skimboarding!

Me and my Scout

Mark took this candid of me simply relaxing at the beach - aaaahhhh.

Dolphins!

Me and my kids!

My cute husband, cute kids, and cute dog!

Love this picture of us!

Love these guys! They were in SUCH goofy moods.

Mark took this cool panoramic shot. Not sure why it's not bigger on here.

Traditional Jake's dinner (and sitting at the table right next to us? Our Pittsburgh friends from the beach!) - of course first we got crab balls as well as TWO bowls of their phenomenal seafood bisque - best we've ever had ANYWHERE. Delicious sea scallops. Happy Mark!

She blinked. Soft-shell crabs and the best-ever sweet potato fries.

Jambalaya. "Please don't post this anywhere," he asked, but I couldn't resist - Hilarious and cute face!

Rockfish in incredible Sherry sauce.

Day 6 - Friday

Pack and leave. Laundry at laundromat (we had a bit of a flea issue with poor Scout - apparently fleas have been bad down there this summer - so we talked to our vet, a vet there, used at least 6 different methods, and washed EVERYTHING there AND here before entering our house - I can be a bit obsessive and compulsive about stuff like that - we made sure NO fleas came back with us (successfully, I might add - not a one - believe me, we've checked obsessively!) - UGH, so stressful - we had that issue a couple of years ago, too - bad flea summer then, too - I think it's the mild summers that do it). Go karts. Lunch at Chipotle. Trader Joe's for more food. Get home. Mark even ran into the clinic, soon after we got home, to see a patient who is also a friend of ours. More unpacking. More laundry. More cleaning (see? Vacations are work!). Got to bed exhausted. Woke up and finished cleaning everything. And now I sit and write. (Okay, wrote a bunch and then stopped to go on a double date with friends to see the new Woody Allen movie - so good, by the way - and then home to hang out and talk until the wee hours). So, NOW I post.

The beach is healing, restorative, and relaxing. I love, love, love it. Such a wonderful family vacation (minus the stupid, stressful flea thing). We do love spending time together. And something I've noticed for some time now is that we all work REALLY well together. Everyone pitches in and we get a lot done together. It's nice. I love my family. And I love hanging out at the beach with them.

Oops - I forgot to ask 5 questions!

So, anyone who wants to answer these in the comments, knock yourself out!

1. Do you feel like you're getting happier/grumpier/angrier/more satisfied/more patient/more dissatisfied/whatever as you get older?

2. If you could choose one novel to give as a gift to all your friends, what would you give? What would be the runner up novel?

3. Most recent two movies you've seen at the theater?

4. You're getting treated to lunch by a friend. What sounds best today from the following three options - Indian, Japanese, or Mexican?

5. What fall TV show are you most looking forward to?


Books, people, movies, food, TV . . . simple pleasures. :)

The Sunshine Award (Stacy's Version)

Thank you to Nevillegirl and Mark for tagging me to do this post. I love prompts like these!

So, here are my responses to The Sunshine Award.
 

Five facts about myself . . .

1. I have very little tolerance for stupid people.

2. I love making things special for people (assuming they're not stupid).

3. I said this the other night, out loud, to my family: "Why does she think we want to see it?!? There are at least 10,000 things I'd rather see than Nicki Minaj's butt."

4. I love visiting bookstores and coffee shops.

5. I love watching films at indie theaters.


Next, Mark's five questions . . .

1. Tell me about your mother.

She's a lively woman who does whatever she wants in life, devil may care. 

2. There are two choices: 1. Perfect health, but a complete inability to remember anything the next day or, 2. A perfect memory, but having only the ability to observe life around you, not directly participate. Which do you choose?

Uh, 1. I'm pretty much already there. And 2 sounds sucky. 

3. Imagine your nemesis has developed a way to force you to read anything he or she chooses. What reading material will be first on the list of tortures?

This is not an easy question. I'll go with Tuesdays with Morrie.

4. Sea salt caramel. A passing fad you want to see disappear, or the greatest trend ever?

I think it's a passing fad, but I do love me some Bruster's homemade Sea Salt Caramel ice cream with toffee bits!

5. What do you think of going barefoot?



I like being barefoot at home in the summer.




I, too, tag anyone who reads this post and feels moved to share. Enjoy!

Know Your Audience

Okay, time to take inventory of our audience.

We love blogging and hearing from our readers, but sometimes we're not sure who's reading or what posts people like or don't like. We have a stat counter and can see the hits we get, but that's data and not always indicative of thoughts or opinions.

We're not really sure who's keeping up with us. We don't know if we're boring you to tears. We don't always know if you like what we post or if you wish we'd post more or less or on specific topics.

So we figure we can ask! (Got the idea from my daughter and her blogging friends).

1. If you read our blog, who are you?

2. Do you usually comment? If so, why? If not, why not?

3. What kind of posts do you like? What kind of posts do you dislike?

4. Is there something you'd like to see more of? Less of?

5. Do we post too much? Too little?

6. Keep blogging or shut it down?

Thanks! I mean, ultimately, we'll probably do whatever we want, but feedback helps inform and guide us. :) So, thanks.

The Sunshine Award (Mark's Version)

Thank you to Nevillegirl for tagging me to do this post. I always enjoy responding to prompts like this, even if it puts the pressure on.

Without further ado, here are my responses to The Sunshine Award. I just hope I'm doing it right:

Five facts about myself . . .

1. I have broken three bones in my life, but none for over 20 years.

2. Clowns creep me out. Like, a lot.

3. I wish I had more time to read because my to-be-read list grows exponentially.

4. Almost every movie I ever watch makes me cry at some point. I've learned to accept that and not resist.

5. Being a father to a daughter is scary, but not as scary as I thought it would be, at least on most days. I love being a father to both a son and a daughter.


Next, Nevillegirl's five questions . . .

1. What book will you read next?

Can I just tell you what I'm reading now? It's taken me long enough to get through it that it's kind of like reading it "next." I'm reading Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett right now. Next? Probably Landline by Rainbow Rowell.

2.Do your parents, siblings, or any other relatives read your blog? What do they think of it?

My immediate family? Yes, they do read it, and they really seem to like it. My sister-in-law Emily is a faithful reader. The rest of my extended family is sort of hit and miss, but they seem to enjoy what they read.

3. What is the funniest thing you’ve seen or heard recently?

We just saw "What If?" in the movies. That had some pretty funny dialogue. In today's day and age we're bombarded constantly with things that are supposed to be funny and I think it's getting harder to impress me. Sad, but true.

4. If you could choose, right now, to be either ten years younger or ten years older than you currently are, which option would you pick?

I would be ten years younger, but not because I'm scared of getting older. I would love to have a second chance at my 30s. As great as life has been there are quite a few things where a do-over would be nice.

5. What is your quest?

To seek the Holy Grail. (Just don't ask me the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow, because I don't knowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!) Oh, and I am on the quest for the perfect carnitas.


And, five questions from me:

1. Tell me about your mother.
2. There are two choices: 1. Perfect health, but a complete inability to remember anything the next day or, 2. A perfect memory, but having only the ability to observe life around you, not directly participate. Which do you choose?
3. Imagine your nemesis has developed a way to force you to read anything he or she chooses. What reading material will be first on the list of tortures?
4. Sea salt caramel. A passing fad you want to see disappear, or the greatest trend ever?
5. What do you think of going barefoot?


The nominations are always the hardest part for me, especially since Stacy is often tagged as well. I'm going to cop out and say I tag anyone who reads this post and feels moved to share. Enjoy!

Random Thoughts

So I totally love those month-in-review posts, but I feel like they're so time intensive that I find myself not posting much of anything else. I don't want blogging to feel like homework, so I'm choosing to mix it up a little. Here are some random thoughts.

The new house is awesome. 

We have less noise here, less allergies here, less dust here.

And we have more light. Even on cloudy and rainy days. Love it!

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It practically feels like fall.

I'm not ready for that. This summer has flown by

and it hasn't been that hot!

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When I hear people tell the same stories over and over again,

 it always makes me wonder . . . are they that enamored with them?

 Bored? Nothing else in their lives? Trying to preserve them?

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You know how people say, "I know that guy!" 

Who cares?

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At the start of summer, both our son and our daughter

 said they needed more shorts for the summer.

 Both of them also added, "But I don't want to go shopping."

 These are SO our kids!

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Thing 1 got glasses this past month.

She looks beautiful.

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 We all went to the dentist this past week.

They told us they think Thing 2 needs braces.

Totally stressful thing to learn.

We thought he wouldn't need them

and we just finished paying off Thing 1's braces

 a couple of months ago.

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We have friends who have moved after us

 who are more settled in than we are!

 They have sisters.

I'd love to have sisters.

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That being said, I'm so grateful for good friends.

We could not have done all that we've done without the help

of our dear friends, Sherri and Ron and Jack!

I know I've already said it multiple times,

but it bears repeating.

Moving is so stressful and it's easy to feel overwhelmed and isolated,

but we didn't, much due to them and their help.

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I love band-aids with designs.

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It's Jim's birthday today - happy birthday!

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I have to have a bite of something chocolate every time I eat Asian food.

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Oxford comma, Oxford comma, and Oxford comma.

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So, Thing 1, who NEVER asks for anything, really, really, really 

wants to be able to watch the new seasons of Dr. Who and Sherlock and Torchwood.

The only way we can figure out to do that is to get cable,

which we so don't want to do, as it's ridiculously expensive.

Anyone else know a way to get BBC America shows (legally)?

The new seasons start next week and I can see her getting very antsy,

and I don't know what to do.

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