I grew up in "lower" state NewYork, just a hop over the Jersey line, so my first experiences of the beach were at age 9 getting sucked out in a mean undertow at the Jersey Shore. Twice. I developed a healthy respect for the ocean, and still kept going back.
When I was able to drive, my friends and I would head out to Robert Moses State Park on Long Island. (I learned all my aggressive driving skills on the L.I.E.) We soaked our hair in lemon juice and did a lot of sun damage to our skin. And there was always one loud mother on the beach that would keep us entertained with a super heavy Long Island accent. "Chris-to-fa, stay away from the woh-ta!"& "I sweah, my daw-tah is like the may-yah of Minneola!" has been forever burned into my brain. Oh, good times.
The beach always offers that promise of fun and carefree relaxation. The rest of the big world just vanishes when you are there. You suddenly become very small.
So I decided to start off small and close to home, (well now its Boston, and the accent up here is just as awesome as NY/NJ -"wat-ha") ... so lets talk about the quintessential New England beach cottage.
My favorite is Jeffrey Bilhuber's Nantucket cottage. One word: adorable. From the outside I expect to find my grandmother inside making cookies and lemonade...
The inside is classic, relaxed and hand feels homey...
On a separate note, I have to also kick off May with a big "Happy Birthday"! Seven years ago I became a momma to my big guy Thomas. I love you T! Best job I have ever had!
Oh, and I have finally hopped on the Instagram bandwagon. (I have a Droid, so I had to wait.) Come over and follow me (danikaherrick) and my randomness. Like this... Hair update. Its bleached. Much shorter.
I have one more round of toner to go until platinum happens, and soon this will be happening to it too...