Well Blogland, it's been a minute! I can't tell you how many posts I've started, only to get overwhelmed at simply how much there is in our life to share, so I don't end up sharing any of it hahaha because I just say the heck with it.
BUT, our annual summer vacation this year was back on Block Island (for the first time since 2018) and it was epic. The group was mostly the same, with taller kids and older adults. We were all SO happy to be back that we made sure to get lots of photos of ourselves.
Every year we go we are in a different house and this year was Island Adventure which served us pretty well. There was a huge front lawn that we used to play all kinds of games and the kids even set off rockets. (Tell me this video is not the most joyous children's voices you've ever heard.)
We managed to get to the beach every day, go out to dinner, shop, moped, fish, etc. But first: Bloody Marys on the boat!
And then, all the activities!
While we mopeded (?), GG took the kids on a walk all the way out to the North Light and I have to post this next one for no other reason than Callie's face:
One of the mornings the boys went fishing.
And us girls stayed home to do our nails. EQUALLY as exciting if you ask me.
Fun fact: Ashton ended up catching the biggest fluke of the summer at 28.5". We submitted it to the Block Island Times and they published him!
So they caught a porgie, the fluke, and tons of sea bass and we ate it all.
Beach photos - good ol' Fred Benson!
I had brought the boys speedos to wear under their board shorts and hopefully avoid the chafing issue that usually plagues them. For a time there, it was all Alex wore (and if you know Alex, he loved making a show of it).
Official meeting of the Professional Beach Lunch-eaters Club (PBLC):
We also had some birthdays in the house! Callie turned 8 on 8/2:
And then Ashton turned 11 on 8/3. He got a skimboard so it was breakfast, beach, and then dinner and cake. Of course he will get a whole separate post on turning 11 as is the blog's tradition. I love to bore everyone with the small details about his shoe size, etc. Muah ha ha.
Fishing party at the inlet
Out to dinner at the Spring House!
Out to dinner at the Oar for our final night.
Of course, our favorite view.
Ok now, here is something super cool. There are hundreds of handmade glass orbs hidden around the island:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/20/style/orbivores-block-island.html When the NY Times has written about it you know it's legit.
ANYWAY, Erik announced one morning at the beach that he was leaving and going to search for an orb. We were like umm yep good luck, good luck, bye.
Two hours later, we all receive a group text:
And of course were like NO WAYYYY!!!! Readers, these orbs are beautiful. They are all stamped and dated and have a Block Island etched on the bottom.
And Erik found one! He's number 529 on the 2022 list:
https://www.blockislandinfo.com/glass-float-project/found-floats
It was the coolest. And of course Ashton was drooling over it, he's totally into this kind of thing. He and Erik went out at 6 am for a walk the next day to try and find another, and Jason and I took the kids for a few walks to keep looking, but alas.
The wonders of BI never cease. Of course by the end we were all plotting how we could get a house there someday, it is that magical for us.
On the last day, it was just us the Nills left until the afternoon. We went to Ballard's Beach Club, Rebecca's for lunch, and set sail.
To GG, Erik, Kari, Ben, Callie, Holden, Grandma and Grandpa: thanks for sharing the sun and sand with us for a week in our favorite place. It is always the BEST!! xoxoxox
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