A Week At The Beach

As a child, my father used to pack a cooler and all of us kids up into our station wagon and make the long drive down to Narragansett anytime we wanted to go to the beach. The ride was long with the stop and go traffic, and the hot wind blowing in through the car's windows did little to cool us off (our car didn't have any air conditioning). We knew once we reached the tower at the corner of RT. 138 that we were almost there! 

Fast forward several decades . . . Now that I am an adult with children of my own, our family has been able to enjoy the beach in a different way. Beginning last year, we started renting a beach house within walking distance from Scarborough Beach. Now, I know as Rhode Islanders we are spoiled by the fact that our state is so small, and that we all tend to complain if we have to drive any more than 15 minutes in any direction - but what a luxury it was to have to only drive down to South County once and then stay there for a couple of weeks.

My kids love the beach house experience! Our year-round house in Johnston is on a busy road and they miss out on the neighborhood thing, because the traffic makes it dangerous to walk in the street. Down at the beach house, they are free to roam through the neighborhood and it's safe to walk on the side streets and the sidewalks of the main roads. The beach atmosphere is relaxed, and because the whole neighborhood is also "on vacation," everyone is cheerful and friendly! Throngs of families walk to and from the beach and take walks around the block in the evening. We even discovered that several other families that we know from Johnston were actually staying within blocks of us.

Years ago, Scarborough used to be the place to be seen! The boardwalk would be lined with well-tanned body builders and bikini clad teeny boppers. Thankfully, the Scarborough of today is more of a family beach with a mix of all ages. You don't have to be bikini perfect to feel comfortable there nowadays. 

My teenager enjoyed strolling up and down the beach, while my younger son wanted to make sandcastles, dig canals in the sand for the tide to travel through, and search for crabs near the rocks. The novels I brought along to read while at the beach never got cracked open. It's okay — I saw older couples leisurely sitting on the beach under their umbrellas, iced tea in hand, noses buried in their books.  My day to relax on the beach will come one day, but until then, I am content to sit in the sand and climb on the rocks. It is all about creating special memories for my children . . . "beach house memories" to be cherished for years to come!