Long Beach Island | August 2009

Last week, our family headed east for a week’s vacation in Holgate, the southernmost town on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. We hadn’t spent a week at the beach since 2005, when Leo was six months old, and I hadn’t been to Long Beach Island since my family stopped vacationing there sometime in the late 1980s.

This vacation was bound to not be quite a quiet, relaxing beach experience, as we were joining a house full of people. In addition to our family of four, our housemates were: my parents, my sister and her husband Madison (the newlyweds), Madison’s parents, Madison’s sister and her three kids (7, 5, 3), and for the last few days, my niece and nephew (7 and 4).

It was a little crazy with all those kids… but so much fun. I could spend weeks just watching the kids play in the sand and in the water.

Madison’s father, also named Madison, spoiled us all week with meals like clam chowder, crab cakes, fried tomatoes, the most amazing chicken stew, and these beautiful tomatoes.

The kids were buried in sand several times. Matt and I had just arrived at the beach when we found all the kids like this: (photo by Matt’s iPhone, also known as his new Third Hand)

Frankie, still very sandy.

Jonas loved playing in the sand. As long as he had a bucket or some shells or a shovel, he was happy. But it took all week before he worked up the nerve to set foot in the ocean.

We had beautiful sunsets almost every night. Of course I saw this as a perfect opportunity to do what everyone does. Go to the playground with my voice-operated light stand (Matt) and a shoot-through umbrella.

Vanessa

Juliana

Our balcony provided a beautiful sunset view and view of the bay.

Another iPhone capture… all the girls were crazy about Jonas. They loved to get him to repeat what they were saying.

Thanks to my sister Beth for taking this one of our family, and to Madison for doing light stand duty.

On our final morning, I headed over to the beach for a couple final photos. I’d envisioned a classic beach scene, with the ocean smashing against the rocks, only to find that the night before, vandals had thrown the lifeguard stand onto the jetty.

Finally, a “put the camera on the table” self-timer group shot, taken with my sister’s camera.