July Flew By

We spent the month of July house/ pet sitting for a wonderful family that I babysit for in Coral Gables who was up in Martha's Vineyard on vacation. The change of scenery was nice, but we definitely cleaned up more urine, poop and feathers than we bargained for. Diaper changing should be a snap after this!

As always, involving friends made everything more fun. The gang greatly enjoyed their grill and their boat on the canal, which we never obviously took out, but they found entertaining as a spot to drink beers.

They have an 108 year old (dog years) gal named Bluebell, who sadly was on her last legs

And a bird named Zeb, who was "molting" during our stay- tough life

Of course, while in Coral Gables, we had to find some hidden gems in the neighborhood. Here we are at a restaurant named "Red Fish" up the block

 On a date with my man and my big old belly

30 weeks prego!

PS- the raffle thing

Let me just add to sum up our weekend trip that it turns out the Gormans are very excited about winning raffle prizes and as it turns out, very good at it. We turned out with 9 wins as a family, leaving suspicion about a wrigged raffle pull by all the rest of the guests at the cocktail party...

 Intensely waiting...

 Family sweep!

Aunt Anne wins the basket of cheer, successfully getting the stink eye from every non family member

4th of July Fun

 All of us at "the Casino." No there's no gambling or slot machines, just a sweet dive bar

 Emmet, JM, Sean

 Emmet and Mom on road to the "beach"

 Lake side with Erica and Luke

 Taking over the beach

 Krista and Riley

 Sean and Bri getting into tennis

 The fam at the 4th of July Cocktail Party

Group Shot

 Riley and Uncle Joe

 Me and Em out on the boat

 Dave :)

With the Colorado Gormans

A look at the new Lake House

When Emmet and I arrived from Dominica this past spring, my parents surprised my sisters and me with the news that they had purchased a house at Hulett's Landing on Lake George. For decades, we have stayed at my Dad's parents house whenever we went up there. And although my "Nanny and Grandpa's" will always have that cozy feel of a cottage filled with miscellaneous objects and familiar nooks and crannies, the extended Gorman family was, I might say, literally "growing out of it."

The children of my Dad's five child family have and are having children, and since the Irish tend to only increase exponentially in family size, another house was a fantastic idea and a blessing for sure. Mom and Dad closed on the place within a couple of months and miraculously had it up and running for the first big weekend of summer. So when we found out Emmet had off Friday and Monday of the holiday, we had to make the trip to Lake George for the grand opening of "Larkin's Eire."

 The new house with Dad on the porch reading the paper

 The Gorman Family- Left to Right Patty, Joanne, Joe, Dennis and Dad

 My cousin Erica with her three children, Luke, Cassidy and Riley

 Luke breaking in my Mom's new tub

 First gathering in the new backyard

 Dad on the grill, FDNY scoping out her new territory

 Mom and Cassidy getting out the strawberry shortcake

 Emmet with Pat and Joe

Kids loving the hammock with Mom

Hulett's Landing at a glance

For most people, it would be tough to pick your favorite place in the world. There's so many spots, all so spectacular in different ways- different landscapes, different people, different experiences. But for me, even with all the places I've been lucky enough to see, it's still an easy answer- Hulett's Landing on Lake George. 

It's hard to nail down with words what makes little community nestled in the Adirondacks so unique and so personally meaningful, but here are a couple of the views to set the stage for you before I comment on our 4th of July weekend. Combine the sentimental value of having a summer getaway that has been traveled to for four generations, the memories of all the times spent with grandparents, aunts, uncles cousins and friends, and the beauty that can only be found in upstate New York and you've got the recipe for a place you can't live without.

 Emmet's favorite view- the golf course, caddy shack and the road leading to the landing

 View from Casino beach, where I learned to swim, like so many kids

 The cove where Uncle Dennis' 30 year old boat is kept

Looking back at the docks in front of Nanny's and Uncle Pat's house