This 4th we spent the holiday in our NEW house in Rock Hall! Over Memorial Day weekend we closed on a house of our own on Bayside Avenue, just a few blocks from The Sharps. Dave spent the first few weekends doing some work on it. The room that’s now Sophie’s needed a lot of work, so Dave spent two full weekends fixing it up, and it turned out really nice. He’ll slowly work his way through the rest of the house pulling up carpets, painting, and generally updating.
My family came up from Virginia and stayed until Monday, so it was a good long weekend.
The first night we walked across the street to the Harbor Shack (yes, we’re across the street from our favorite restaurant!), and while we were waiting for our table got some good family pics.
the girls being silly
Dad & Mom
Nana and Pappap with the grandkids
We spent a lot of time at the beach. The weather was really nice all weekend. The first day we had most of the beach to ourselves, but once the weekend got going it was packed. This is definitely the town if you’re looking for a small town 4th!
the cool girls
Maddie & Mom
Rock Hall celebrates the 4th on the 3rd of July, with a parade in the morning and fireworks that evening. The parade goes down Main Street and is mostly fire trucks, local businesses, and people with cool cars driving down the street throwing candy. Very small and very Americana.
The gang waiting for the parade to go by
That afternoon the Sharp’s hosted a BBQ at their house. In addition to my family, Zoe and her daughter Maddie, Ed, Dot, Crystal, John and Bella were there too.
Zoe & Mo
After dinner, everyone walked down the street to our house where we set out chairs at the end of the driveway and watched the fireworks, which they shot off right across the street in the harbor.
Maddie watching with Mommom
Fireworks right across the street
The driveway gang!
There was one unfortunate mishap during the weekend. At the BBQ Becky brought her dog Penny and Zoe brought her dog Mo and we had Petunia. They were happy dogs, running around like happy dogs do. I made the unfortunate and mistimed decision to get a picture of Sophie and Maddie on the swing set at the exact moment that Petunia was shooting across the yard. She nailed me with her head right in the knee and I went down. Hard. I’m writing this several days later, after x-rays and a CT scan have confirmed that I have a tibial plateau fracture that will require surgery to fix. Just a moment later, or an inch to one side and it would be a different outcome. But it’s done and there’s nothing I can do now (except curse the damn dog!).
Insane dogs moments before “the incident”
Before hobbling back to a chair I did manage to snap the picture I wanted to get. May it live in infamy!
THE picture. I’ll remind both of these kids for the rest of their lives the story behind it!
Before my family left on Monday we had a little July birthday celebration for Mom, Becky and me. It was such a great weekend (with one low point), and I hope we can make it a tradition!
June 17th was officially the last day of school and Sophie’s 5th grade promotion ceremony, which unfortunately was still held virtually.
We all logged in to Zoom at 10:30 to hear her name called as she walked up to the stage (in 3 inch heels!) to accept her certificate of completion.
Sophie walking to the stage to accept her certificate of achievement for elementary school
That night we had a small family party with the Sharps and my mom, who flew up for the occasion. We all celebrated with pizza and cake and beautiful weather!
Over Memorial Day weekend my family came up from Virginia and we hosted a party – a PARTY! – to celebrate Doug’s 60th birthday and Julia’s graduation from Bryn Mawr college with a Masters in Social Work. We were maskless and it was wonderful!
Quinn was in town from Arizona for Doug’s birthday and she brought her boyfriend, Gabe, whom the family was meeting for the first time. We had full on “Rainer” fun, and he was a good sport!
Sophie leading Harry Potter trivia
Carley and Quinn – back together again!
Unfortunately the weather was terrible, so despite the BBQ theme, we were all inside.
On May 15, we participated in our first regatta since 2019 with the Union League Yacht Club. Bonus: it was in Rock Hall! The Sharps have been working hard on the boat over the last year and it’s beautiful! As usual, the ULYC regatta was a low-key, family friendly affair with 5 boats. It was a beautiful day – although not a lot of wind – so the race was a slooooow one. Regardless, it was great to be out on the water.
Captain Lauren
Captain Sophia
The “Kind of Blue” crew!
After the race we got dressed up and headed to the after party, which was held outside at a beach club on the Chesapeake. It was the first time in well over a year we had the opportunity to get dressed up!
Finally fancy again!
It was such a great weekend – mostly because it just felt “normal.” Because most adults are vaccinated, no one wore masks at the party, and it was the first time we’ve been in a group that large without masks. This whole pandemic has put a different lens on what used to be every day things – like meeting new people, making small talk, catching up with acquaintances. It’s been 14 months since I’ve just “caught up” with someone I haven’t seen in a while. Nearly all interactions have been through Zoom, which is the opposite of informal, and I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed small talk. We’re still at baby steps to “normal,” whatever that is anymore. But it was a great weekend of baby steps!
The trip we took for spring break 2021 was two years in the making. For spring break of 2020 we had been planning to charter a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands (a trip that Dave and I took for New Year’s of 2000). It’s a trip that requires a lot of planning, so we had begun to map it all out in 2019. Then of course the pandemic hit in March of 2020 and all trips were cancelled. This March of 2021, we decided that we really (really really really) needed to get away. Even though no one was vaccinated yet, we decided to go ahead and take it. The BVIs were out however because of their very strict quarantining rules, so we decided to move the vacation to the Exumas, which is where we visited the Sharps in 2018. We were also taking the trip with the Townsend’s and they’ve never been before.
The wait was worth it.
On March 28th we got a direct flight from Philly to Nassau. It was a packed flight, full of college spring breakers, which made us all feel a little uneasy, but fortunately it was quick and no one got sick. Once we landed, we rented a car and headed to Palm Key Marina where we got the boat. The Townsends were already there by the time we arrived.
While Crystal and I unpacked everyone into thier spaces, John and Dave went to the grocery store to provision us for the week. We knew there was only one place we were stopping all week that would potentially have food, so there was a lot they had to buy.
We chartered a 45 foot catamaran that had 4 bedrooms. Lauren and Bella shared a room, Sophie had her own room, and then each couple had a room. It had a great outdoor dining areas, as well as an indoor dining area, kitchen, and top deck seating area (where I drank coffee and watched the sun rise almost every morning).
The catamaran
inside playing cards
Crystal in the kitchen
Dave and John grilling off the back
outside dining table
my morning coffee buddy in our favorite spot up top
On Saturday we headed out for the week, with our longest distance ahead of us to Shroud Cay. It was a rough ride – we were against the wind the entire time and the waves were big and relentless. Everyone but Dave and Sophie felt sick, with yours truly yacking off the side a few times. Not the best start to the trip, but we knew it would be a rough day, and fortunately the only one.
We arrived in Shroud Cay in the late afternoon and had time to do some exploring. We took the dinghy through a protected mangrove area where we found ourselves at the most picturesque beach. On our way to the beach we saw a few sea turtles and a lot of cool birds.
The girls on the front of the dinghy
mangroves
Entrance to Shroud Cay
view of the beach from the top of the hill
Sophie snorkeling
The next day we headed from Shroud to Waderick Wells Cay where we we got a mooring ball – one of the few available because there is such a small area that is deep enough during low tide.
Waderick Wells Cay
Crystal & Sophie paddle boarding
catamaran in the background
That afternoon we did some hiking to an amazing beach we had all to ourselves (which was fortunately most beaches we found) where we had afternoon cocktails and snacks. Dave brought his drone so he got some pretty amazing shots of our whole trip, including this beach.
exploring the marine life at low tide
Lauren next to her own tower of rocks on the beach
The next morning we hiked again, to another part of the island called Boo Boo Hill where boat owners leave wooden signs with the names of thier boats on them. We had left a sign with the name of Sharps boat, So Many Stars, in 2018, but couldn’t find it again. There are hundres of signs there, so I’m sure it was just buried somewhere.
looking for the So Many Stars sign from 2018
Sophie, Lauren & Bella
After Waderick Wells, we made our way to Staniel Cay, one of the only islands with inhabitants on it. On our way we made a detour to see the swimming pigs. When we got there we were the only dinghy on the beach and the pigs were very happy to see us – one in particular. The girls feds them lots of carrots, and when they started to try to climb into the boat, we had to back away a bit.
bring carrots and they will come
Feed me!
Once we made it to Staniel Cay we anchored in the harbour, which was the most crowded place we’d been to yet, and took the dinghy in to get COVID tests, which was requried on our 5th day in the country. The testing “clinic” was more of a pop up tent in the parking lot of the Staniel Cay yacht club, but they all came back negative and were submitted to the government, so we’ll take it! After that Crystal and I took the girls to the beach and Dave and John went to the liquor/laundry mat to replenish our refreshments.
the “clinic” where we got our 5-day COVID tests
the girls swimming in Staniel Cay
Sophie with a mango daiquiri
Right outside of Staniel Cay Yacht Club is where fisherman clean their catch from the day, which attracts a slew of sharks. They’re mostly Nurse sharks, so not super aggressive – unless you’re fish guts.
the table where the fisherman clean their fish
sharks waiting for the scraps
lots and lots of them!
After that we went snorkeling in Thunderball Grotto, a famous place to snorkel that is a cave with an opening at the top to let light in. In the water are thousands of cool fish and above water is this amazing cave to explore. It’s a little chilly because no sun reaches it – but worth it!
The next day we left Staniel and headed to Cambridge Cay. On our way we made a stop where we found another smaller, but still very cool cave to go snorkeling called Rocky Dundas. It had stalactite and stalagmite formations and an opening at the top to let light in. We also explored a place called Rachel’s Bubble Bath, which is a calm lagoon separated by the sea by a rock bar. Every so often the waves will crash over the rock bar into the lagoon, making a bubble bath effect.
Rachel’s Bubble Bath
We then continued the trip to Cambridge Cay where we got a mooring ball in a mooring field with about a dozen other boats. After we hung out for a bit we took the dinghy to an area called The Aquarium, which is known for it’s snorkeling. It did not dissapoint.
Sophie above the aquarium
drone shot of the aquarium
That evening we hiked to a beach for sunset cocktails and snacks. Dave took his drone out again and got some good shots.
path to the beach
group shot with the drone
the fam (again)
The next morning we headed out early to an area called Highborn where we anchored next to an island known as Bitter Iguana Cay, which is filled with iguanas. I’ve never seen an iguana in the wild, and this island had hundreds of them. It was nuts! We kayaked over and the girls fed them lettuce. As soon as the boat landed on the island the iguana emerged from every corner – creeping from behind trees and climbing over rocks – it was super creepy. But they were just there for the lettuce.
girls feeding the iguanas lettuce
That afternoon was yet another beach with cocktails and snacks. Fortunately, we found a beach with fewer iguanas. The girls spent hours looking for creatures (and came back with quite a few).
drone shot of the girls looking for creatures
the anchorage at Highborn
That night the adults stayed up late on the top deck star gazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many starts in my entire life. It was amazing. The next morning we visited the iguanas one more time before we had to make the trip back to Nassau. Fortunately the trip back was much (much) calmer. The wind was with us this time and we ended up sailing most of the way.
We spent our final night at the marina, dinner of a combo of leftovers and food from the restaurant, and a late night dance party. It was an amazing trip! We can’t wait to go back!
We’re leaving for vacation on Dave/Pop pop’s actual birthday, so we celebrated a week early with a nice dinner and wine pairing down in Rock Hall. If it was non-COVID times we probably would have thrown a big party, but this was the second best option. Dave cooked the whole dinner and I made a cake. It was another beautiful early spring weekend, so we got to spend a lot of time outside.
The birthday boy!
The menu
On Sunday morning we walked to the beach where the Bay was like glass. Petunia loves to run around on the beach and will dip into the water, but won’t go in past her chest.
It was a really great, relaxing and celebratory weekend. It made me very excited for this coming summer and warm weather! This has been a long, cold winter and these glimpses of spring have been wonderful.
My family came up for a late birthday visit in the middle of March. No one has been vaccinated yet, but they all should still have antibodies from being sick at the end of 2020. It was another low key weekend, where we hung out at the house. They brought Penny for the first time, so the dogs had a blast playing in the backyard (and all over the house). Fortunately the weather was nice all weekend, so we got a lot of outside time for eating and playing. The swing that Lauren got for Christmas continues to be a hit with all the kids, which has been great.
We just hit the one year mark of the pandemic, which means Sophie is one year older! The very last “regular” get together we had with people was for her 10th birthday sleepover. What a year it’s been.
This year she celebrated on Saturday with two friends, Ruby and Sarah, who came over for a few hours for some crafts, pretzel making, pizza, cake and a movie. Fortunately it wasn’t a freezing day, so the kids could take their masks off and eat outside.
When the girls first arrived they made some bath bombs that were able to set by the time they left.
The girls making bath bombs
Dave then gave some pretzel making lessons and they made some Philly style pretzels to take home to their families.
pretzel folding lessons from Dave
pretzels pre-bake
the final product!
Birthday cake with her friends
On her actual birthday, which was a Tuesday, she did a scavenger hunt for her birthday presents (a new tradition started with Lauren’s last birthday). And that night the Sharp’s came over for dinner – homemade pizzas and chocolate mousse cups.
Sophie and Lauren in very disturbing anonymous masks that she had asked for.
We decided to make a trip down to Charlottesville over the long President’s Day weekend. It’s been so snowy along the east coast that we were worried we might not be able to make it – and it turns out there was a big snow storm the day that we left – but it didn’t get bad until we reached Charlottesville. They ended up getting about 4 inches of snow.
The four day weekend consisted of a lot of hanging out and not much more, which was perfect. Mom, Dad, Beck and Ari all had COVID at the end of 2020 and everyone is finally back to feeling better, thank goodness.
The cousins had a blast, especially the two peas in a pod, Lauren and Ari.
They spent most of the weekend outside in the snow – sledding down the hill, running around with the dogs, and playing on the swings.
The dogs also had a blast. Murci is so old, she didn’t do much, but Penny and Petunia played hard all weekend.
after hours of play t hey finally chilled in front of the stove
Murci loving on Petunia
Sophie finally got to meet Becky’s cat, Patches. She was in love. We’re still not getting a cat though 😉
Sophie & Patches
Our last day there was Valentine’s Day. The girls enjoyed some Valentine’s day presents and lots of candy! My parents let the kids roller skate in the house (unlike our house), so they had their wheels on most of the weekend.
the Valentine’s Girls
It was a great, relaxing weekend. Happy we were able to make it happen given the weather and pandemic. Looking forward to the next get together, hopefully soon!
