at the shore...

I'm so lucky to only live less than 30 minutes from the ocean! Life gets busy, though, and the little mountain between me and the ocean always seems so daunting (like I said, it's only a 20 minute drive, but some how it seems much farther.) So, I was so happy when a dear friend of mine (from nursery school!) decided to have a birthday gathering over at the beach.


It was a breezy, somewhat chilly afternoon - typical for spring time in Northern California... but it was so beautiful. The smells, the sounds, the sights... oh, I just love the beach! I also had fun snapping pictures with my new camera.


The outing also reminded me of my trip a little less than a year ago to Nantucket, and inspired me to start creating some "At the Shore" items- with that nautical/beach-ey type feel. I started with some note cards, but have also created a banner, and am planning on a full Party Kit.

Summer will be here before you know it... and I definitely will be looking forward to any clambake, lobster boil, crab feed, or beach party around to attend!!

Nantucket

I’m a west coast girl. I did a 2 year stint in NYC and loved the experience, but came back west where family, friends and my heart lives. I do regret, though the lack of traveling I did when I lived on the east coast... after all, I was just a starving grad student, living in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

So when my husband and I got an invitation to go to Nantucket for a friend's lavish wedding, and my parents offered to watch our kids, we jumped on the opportunity!

What a great weekend. It started off with a clambake, including lobsters for all (can’t get more New England than that.) The wedding was in a classic town church, tall steeple and all... and the black tie reception at an exclusive golf course in Sankatay. We couldn’t have been treated more luxuriously.

One of my favorite parts of the trip, though, was a “walk about” I took with my husband. It reminded me of our pre-kid days... long walks exploring, just the 2 of us. We went to the town light house, then walked down the shore. So many shells! The battered white picket fences, the faded cedar siding on the home... now this is the East Coast! For some reason it seemed so different, yet so the sam as my west coast Lake Tahoe summer day experiences... lazy mornings getting a coffee in town, then head to the beach for a full day of fun. Afterward, we all head home tired from the water and sun to a great family meal, and perhaps a game of cards... as the kids run outside for more evening fun.

So, besides the humidity, bugs, sunrise vs. sunset, I think an East Coast summer vacation would be a lot like the west. Next time, I’ll bring the whole family!