Another ATC

i'm thinking a lot about beach these days. The husband and daughter (who will rendezvous with the son) are heading off to the beach house on Thursday. The yearly trek to "do beach" as they say in my husbands family. I think i've mentioned that he and his siblings own a lovely house in Bethany (that's Delaware for all you non east coasters). At this time of year - 'round 4th of July - they descend upon that house. It is rather a hoard. My husband has 4 sisters, 1 brother and they all have children. Our kids grew up at the beach (at one house or another then this one since it was built a number of years ago). And the kids have indeed grown up. One has married, one is engaged and in our case - one is turning 21 years old tomorrow (freakmeout ... still.... i cannot believe he is this old as I have not aged in the least - the only thing that would give me away, i daresay, is artfully taken care of by my wonderful Michael - the best hairstylist in the burg LOL) Those of you who know me know I do not partake of the insanity that is the beach house during this 4th of July holiday time. The family gets together en masse twice a year and i cannot bow out during Christmas. It's just not allowed (and strangely enough then everyone is cooped up in one house - talk about claustrophobic pour moi - cos the weather is not conducive to having Christmas outdoors on this side of the world - even if they were comin to Virginia... but i digress. as ususal)

Anyway - they will be heading out to the beach. They'll have a fabulous time and i do wish i could stand all that togetherness (we're talking over 30 people here folks - it is a large house) but their yearly time away gives me a little time off - to just be me. Not someone's wife or mom. (Yes, I'm still the good daughter but hey) So it's good.

I thought i'd share a little ATC i made a while back. The little boy at the center is my father. Wasn't he just a cutie? I am sure the beach involved is either in NY or NJ. That's where my dad, and then I, grew up - there are no beaches like those beaches. Don't even say it - I don't care. They are the beaches of all my memories so they will always be the best. My Dad was an only child (something he would say was the worst thing you could do to a kid - he said it - not me). My grandparents are there in the background - the back row in the center. The pic is one of those in that pile of photos my mom gave me. My Dad loved the beach. I grew to like it less and less (possibly because I got burned every time I went) but now I wish I could go spend a few quiet days there. Sans the hoard that is the family. We've done that other years. Take a week at the beach house to ourselves. But - not to be this year.

Ok... enough of my blabbering for one day.