Meet Us: The Long-Island Stalkers

Paul and I have been talking about going out to Long Island to visit his brother and his family for a couple of years. We finally were able to pick a weekend that worked for everyone so we headed down Fri, July 23. The drive down wasn't too bad. We were concerned that traffic leaving NYC for the Hamptons might be a problem, but it was a non-issue.
We arrived at about 9pm and the kids were already in bed, so we spent some time catching up, eating snacks, and sharing some of our home brew. We decided we'd head out to Montauk the next morning since I'd never been there before.
The next morning I heard footsteps coming toward the living room and turned over to see Kyle peeking his head around the corner to see if we were awake. He came down for a quick hug and to show us his Buzz Lightyear toy with a broken leg. Poor Buzz! We got up and soon after the house was full of the activity. Henry went for bagels and came back and made smoothies for a yummy breakfast. Keara gathered up stuff for the kids and I made sandwiches for lunch. And, while we had wanted to leave at 8:30, we didn't hit the road until 9:30. Right on time, as usual! ; )
The drive out was nice. We stopped for an iced coffee at Dunkin'---thanks guys!--and drove through the famous Hamptons where rich New Yorkers have summer homes and spend their summer weekends. It was definitely slow going in some spots.
H & K pointed out where The Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) shops for flowers, bread, and fish. (She lives in East Hampton) I recognized the storefronts from her show on Food Network. That was exciting. K called her sister who told us how to find Ina's house. We decided we'd save that for the trip back home.
Onward we drove until we reached the easternmost point of NY--Montauk Point! The lighthouse was beautiful, the sun was shining, and it was hot! And humid! We went for a quick walk, then decided to head back to the van for lunch. After lunch it was back out to walk on the rocks around the lighthouse. The breeze close to the water felt wonderful.
Once on the back side of the lighthouse, we found a sandy beach. I didn't have my suit on, but I was going to get in as far as I could regardless! It was hot, people! As we walked down, I asked K how the kids liked the ocean. She said they hadn't ever really been in it before. I was hopeful that they'd enjoy it.
Down to the water I went and my feet were in the Atlantic in no time. It felt cold at first, but it didn't take long before I was used to it. I didn't even feel hypothermia setting in like I do when I'm in my beloved Pacific! : )
Everyone else joined in and the kids absolutely loved it! We took photos and videos to document the occasion and we thought it was adorable at how cute they were giggling and screaming about the waves and water.
It was hot for all of us, so we hopped back in the van and started on our way home. It was a sleepy ride for the kids and for Paul too! : ) Ok, ok, me too even! My eyes didn't want to stay open for some reason. Once back in East Hampton we drove down Ina's street where we could see her big barn and part of her house. There were cars in the driveway. I don't know why we didn't stop to say hello! Such stalkers we are! Fun!
Back home we cleaned up and made dinner. Later we went out for Italian Ice, yum! You only had to look at Kyle's face to know which flavor he had--priceless! After H &K bathed the kids and put them to bed we talked and snacked the rest of the evening.
Sunday morning K had to play at church, so we held down the fort while she was gone. H made some fantastic blueberry pancakes and we all enjoyed breakfast. Kyle and I built a make-believe lighthouse, set a trap for Big Baby, and then he played with his Hot Wheels cars with Paul, Henry, & Meredith. Once K returned, we decided we'd head out to visit Ikea and go have lunch before we went home.
We managed to buy just a few things at Ikea (love them!) and had a tasty lunch at Chipotle before piling into the car for the ride home. Fortunately we didn't hit much traffic on the way through Queens and made good time on the ride home.
We had a really great time in LI and enjoyed catching up with H, K & the kids. Can't wait to do it again soon!


Long Island-July 2010