This year there are 5 bedrooms, and the downstairs
family room is converted to a children's bungalow.
Aunt Joanie and Uncle David's family arrives first to
open the house. First thing, they take the first trip to the supermarket, filling three
carts. They brought Jenn and Greg from New Mexico (Aunt Sue passed away 5 years ago now).
Richie escorts Nana and Grandpa's car from New York,
arriving Sunday.
Uncle Jonny and Aunt Lisa arrive the following Friday
in time for the 4th of July festivities.
Can you believe, this is our 21st summer in a row that we've rented a house on the
Cape?!
These many different houses have left their mark on us over the
years (and vice versa). We've seen through many different personal circumstances and
stages of life, blood, sweat and tears, along with an ever growing clan of grandchildren.
Here's the list of houses we stayed at over the years:
 | 1998 |
|
Murphy House |
This year. Snoopy neighbors. Piano and
guitar. |
| 1997 |
|
Harwich |
Kids chamber.
Ants,Ants,Ants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amanda's first year, |
| 1996 |
|
Housh House Morris Island |
Parents' 50th anniversary party with
leaking rum cake, Allyn's tee shirts, video slide show, kids' play of Wizard of
Oz;Jason and Rayna learn to ride a 2-wheeler without training wheels; so many kids that we
invaded the sacred upstairs adult computer work center and turned it into a dorm |
| 1995 |
|
North Chatham |
3rd floor playroom, the door, and
pooltable house. kids play for Uncle Jonny & Uncle Jeff. Kids secret passage way.
Stairs too steep; kids hide in the pouffy flowered decorator curtains; first Internet
exploration -- we saw RGL in cyberspace |
| 1994 |
|
House with Jon's garageApartment |
Mouse House Kids scary night
w/"Are you Afraid of the Dark-clown episode" lame skunk; Steven
is a newborn; Selia's first year -- she rolls around the hall in her walker; Moon
Cussers Lane; bike rides to the little beach down the path |
| 1993 |
|
Housh House Morris Island |
first summer without Sue; her presence is
sorely missed. We compiled a scrapbook of her life with photos and
comments and gave it to Jeff for the children. chippy the chipmunk at the
nature preserve; the pee-pee tree; bunnies and the sickly fox roam the lawn; Alinskys get
attacked by starving flies on the beach |
| 1992 |
|
Housh House Morris Iland |
blackberries on Stage Harbor Road; kids
eat meals at small square colored plastic table -- first time seated at "the
children's table"; kids create the smooshed-pillow couch for TV watching and jumping
around; lots of art projects in the den while upstairs living room is the
computer-work-center with no kids allowed. Jarrett is a newborn. |
| 1991 |
|
Housh house , Morris Island |
love that causeway that brings us
to marvelous Morris Island; the perfect house, except for the small, humid bedrooms
downstairs balanced by parents palatial suite; basement with 2 doors serves as sneaky
underground passage to otherside of the house; Miss Dolan, Robert's kindergarten teacher,
babysits and organizes plays and activities; kids discover eating at the counter; ocean
view from kitchen. |
| 1990 |
|
Carter House |
Greg, Rayna & Jason were born; Greg
swings crooked in baby swing; Jenn and Robbie learn to play baseball with Grandpa; Robbie
has chicken pox; Nauset beach |
| 1989 |
|
Carter House |
RGL tapes. pre-stock market crash stock
certificates on bathroom wall; bunnies and snowball bushes delight Shelby, Rob, and
toddler Jenn; old kitchen still is able to produce mob-scene meals; lots of
cookouts. |
| 1988 |
|
Chatham, Ridgevale |
modern house tucked in wooded setting;
balcony loft from which Richie and Dale do upside down facial antics;; Joanie's friend
Sharon visits from Detroit (RGL had dated her sister) Aunt Dale comes for
the first time. Robbie is 2 yrs. old. |
| 1987 |
|
Upside-down house |
Ollie North hearings occupy all our time.
Dad doing knee exercises. Shelby's disappearing blanket. |
| 1986 |
|
Orleans, Richardsons House |
|
| 1985 |
|
Orleans, Richardsons house |
|
| 1984 |
|
Orleans, Richardsons House |
|
| 1983 |
|
Orleans, Richardsons House |
our mainstay house for a number of years
-- bunk beds for Richie and Jon. Shelby is newborn; home of THE ketchup incident; in
the winter before this summer Mom (Nana) came with Joanie and the realtor to find this
house -- mom stood on a sandy precipice in freezing winter wind over looking the ocean
view with her mink coat and hair blowing in the wind; |
| 1982 |
|
Chatham Lighthouse |
JGL Pregnant w-Shelby; the bird on
the deck adopts us and we reciprocate; Grandpa (he wasn't called that yet) claims that
Joanie is not allowed to walk steps to lighthouse beach due to delicate condition. |
| 1981 |
|
|
Jeff sleeps outside in tent on the lawn;
Richie brings his competitive HBS buddies and we have a killer monopoly game |
| 1980 |
|
|
we insist on being able to walk to
the beach; such a beach -- the Bay side; |
| 1979 |
|
Brewester House |
neighbors accuse us of being "not
friendly" -- they were right-- only to each other, and then there is dispute |
| 1978 |
|
Brewester House |
Nana tries to teach RGL and JGL to
play bridge -- thus, the tradition of playing cards on the cape is born -- little did we
know that it would lead to the ultimate POWER solitaire, which eventually moved to the
next generation |
