The River House (aka beach house)

I did what I set out to do. I had a great time this past weekend. It's really kind of hard not to, well, at least for me. Some may find it boring without any TV or Internet but the whole purpose of going down there is to relax, eat (and I mean eat) and look at the view. This is all that we do really. The days are spent laying around the beach watching the kids play in the water and the nights are spent either by the bonfire or watching a movie. There usually is a day that we spend working and cleaning...it is an old house with a large yard so maintenance is required. But it's interesting how the work gets divided. The cheerleader, whom I think I will just name Vee from now on, either cleans, organizes or cooks with my mom inside. My dad, my brother and I are usually outside. I gravitate to the "garden" chores while my brother usually gets suckered into some crazy project of my dad's. This weekend it was helping him build a Tiki Bar. I don't know...I don't ask. I suckered my brother into helping me build an arbor out of bamboo. We only got half way before AJ got bored of watching us. Hopefully, we'll be able to finish next time we get down there or else we'll just have two random bamboo poles in the yard with a moon flower vine growing up it. Really...this could very well happen...anything goes down there. 

Since it was a long weekend, we planned themed activities for the kids. Vee is very creative and is excellent at coming up with ideas. Much of her inspiration comes from foods that might be associated to the theme and that's totally fine with me! I always come back several pounds heavier than before I left.

Saturday was Pirate Day. Activities for the kids were treasure hunting, making messages in the bottle and going for a ride in our ship to explore new land. Food --- for the adults it was ceviche and the kids had Octopasta. It was very fun and very yummy.

Sunday was suppose to be Mama Mia Day. We were going to play restaurant and make pizzas. The kids were having too much fun playing with their new summer friend, Rachel, so we let them do their own thing for the day. The adults got to do stuff around the house and the yard.

It really was a fun weekend. Without the TV and Internet to distract you, it's almost like an escape, a retreat from the world. And even if we hadn't planned any activities, we would all be content just being there. The kids play with each other and the adults just relax. Even with the tons of bugs, the heat, the constant feeling of dehydration, the 20 minute drive to the closest grocery store, the view and the peacefulness is totally worth it. 

The hours between 3-7pm are my favorite. The tide comes in, most of the time a nice breeze comes in and the colors of the water are nothing less than spectacular. This is the time when all of the work is done around the house, dinner is outside or we're sitting around in lounging chairs with a cup of coffee just looking at the water.