As many living in the Northwest can attest, each summer is a precious commodity! The glorious feeling of summer has a way of unconsciously sweeping you away into aspirations of all the things you will do and the places you will see over the coming months. However, daily life quickly does away with your summer and you soon wake up on an overcast September morning. The weather is quickly cooling, the rain showers are making surprise appearances, and a feeling of finality begins to creep in. And so, our summer seemed to have disappeared in this rapid succession of normal family activities, a rash of work trips, and a gaggle of weddings. The idea of buckling down for the winter was too soon and too scary. On a whim, we made an impulse decision to pack the kids, grab some wine, and head out west! Having gone to Seabrook on multiple occasions in the past, it didn’t require a second thought and we found a great house with ease.
Driving down highway 101 in a torrential rain provided brief moments of reflection until the golden rays of a perfect coastal sunset broke through our remaining doubts. With the rain behind us, the week before us was magnificent! Our young family got to enjoy adventures through the woods, picnics on the beach, and afternoons at the farm – everything needed to simultaneously refresh us tired parents and tire our enthusiastic children. Seabrook was a haven of peace and serenity – morning jaunts to the bakery, afternoon excursions to the toy store and book shop, and evenings around the town square listening to live music (and food trucks!).
And then there were the sunsets! Come on, seriously! To be on the beach watching a majestic sunset, a bottle of Pinot Noir close at hand, and children enjoying the vast expanses of an endless beach – I think we may now have the courage to face another winter.
