Surf's Up!

Our Memorial Day post must have generated some real sympathy among our family and friends, because by the following day, we had not one but two invitations to real-deal sand-and-ocean beaches.

Wednesday morning, our friend Whitney and her adorable daughter Riley showed us the way to Good Harbor Beach near Gloucester, Massachusetts. It was gorgeous -- so much so that we could hardly believe we were just 40 miles from the city. Jack made the most of every minute, racing through the waves, rolling in the sand, and jumping into every pick-up game of frisbee, wiffle ball, and catch happening among the other beachgoers. At one point, I asked him, "Jack, is this the best day of your life?" He threw up his arms in an emphatic "Yes!"

And it got even better. Almost as soon as we cruised back into Boston, Jack and I, still sandy and now slightly sunburnt from the morning's outing, whisked away for an impromptu getaway to the South Carolina coast. This trip came courtesy of none other than Poppy,* who surprised us with the invitation just the evening prior. By sheer luck, the airline seated us next to him on our connecting flight from Charlotte to Savannah. By the time we arrived, Jack was sleeping soundly, but when he woke up the next morning to that familiar lowcountry sunshine, his little face was immediately beaming with delight.

Here's a sampling of photos from Good Harbor. Many thanks to Whitney, our fabulous photographer for the day. Stay tuned for pictures from our south shore (way south!) getaway in an upcoming post.

*My dad's post-grandchildren moniker

Memorial Day 2007

For the last three years, we've spent our Memorial Days (and close to every day in between) on the beach in Hilton Head, South Carolina. This year, we attempted to simulate the experience Boston-style, with a walk to Boston Harbor and the nearby sandpit at the North End playground. Here are photos of our beach-baby-turned-city-slicker enjoying the holiday. He had a blast.

A Zen Moment Turns Ugly

Yesterday, with the sun gleaming and the sky cloudless for the first time in weeks, Jack and I decided to celebrate with a stroll to the New England Aquarium, where the good weather meant that there would be harbor seals swimming in the front display pool. There is something about watching these glossy-nosed creatures glide through the water that translates to perfect peace; Jack, his own little nose tucked up against the glass, was basking in it.

This was, of course, until a six- or seven-year-old girl bearing a striking resemblance to a bulldozer ran up and bodyslammed Jack to the concrete to catch a better view. The tears that came streaming down his cheeks could have filled up the seals' pool twice over! In a show of classic Northeastern courtesy, she exhibited no signs of remorse, and her mother, just behind her, barely muttered a "sorry."

My maternal instincts kicked into high gear, and it was all I could do not to toss these two into the shark tank. Mustering every ounce of willpower to quell the adrenaline, I whisked Jack away, sobbing and bruised, managing to eek out an "It's ok" to the perpetrators while I tucked him into his stroller for a quick escape.

Afterwards, Jon advocated a more direct-action response to the assault. "You can't let that stuff go," he said. "You should have just smacked her."

Next time, we're bringing him with us.

Mittens in May

This week, just when we thought spring was finally upon us, the sun left town and the temperatures dropped like a rock. Even in the face of heavy winds and rain, Jack was undaunted. He managed hours of play at the Coolidge Corner park in nearby Brookline, braving slippery equipment and knee-deep puddles, happy as a pig in mud. And when, by the end of the week, our umbrella finally succumbed to the elements and left us soaked over several city blocks and with no stroller canopy to cover him, Jack yelled out an observant "Brrr!" and kept smiling the whole way home. We'll all be smiling when the weather warms up! Wish us luck as we bear up against the last vestiges of the long New England winter. Brrr!