Beach Babes

Memorial Day Fireworks

Maybe the older you get, the bigger you get on traditions. Or maybe my life is boring and repeats itself. Since I'm a glass half full type of person, I will pick the first explanation. This was our second year at the Hempstead Beach Park Memorial Day fireworks, and I feel that a nice family tradition has started. The weather was iffy, but it did not rain, and we just threw on some sweaters, packed a cooler of drinks for the adults and kids, and off we went. I was tired after the day in the City and was not too eager to go, but my daughter would have been extremely disappointed, since we were going to meet her friend and her family there and watch the fireworks together. So I put on a fake smile and went. It was one of those evenings that started kind of slow, but were really fun in the end, and I was happy that I made myself go. The fireworks were awesome, and so much better than my pictures could capture, and after the fireworks the DJ was playing good old soft rock songs that were so fun to sing along and dance along (shot through the heart, and you're to blame, baby you give loooove a bad name)... :-) 

Coming back from the City it looked like it was going to rain really hard

The beach was not as crowded as last year. Didn't have to fight for the best seats. 

Jones Beach

The best thing about living on Long Island is the beaches. I never get tired of saying it, and I never get tired of the beaches. Watching the waves on Jones Beach is so relaxing, it restores me and renews my spirit. This summer I was so busy I only got to go to Jones Beach once, a couple of weeks ago, on the last days before the kids' schools started. There's been a heat wave in New York though, so maybe I'll still get to go later in September...

Almost There

I'm almost there... only four more days to go... and then...

VACATION!!!!!

Finland, the motherland, is waiting and I am so ready for it. Can't wait to relax and clear my mind of the constant demands and noise.

Usually I manage to calm things down once school is out, but this summer has been super busy. There hasn't been any summer lull at work, and it has also been crazy busy on the personal front. Many things are happening that I've put in motion myself. They are good things and things that may propel life forward, but the constant busyness takes its emotional toll. I'm very lucky that this break comes at the exact right time.

My plan for this weekend was to hang out with friends on Friday and Saturday, and then pack for the kids and myself on Sunday. But you know the saying about best laid plans... our sewer system had other things in mind, and I ended up spending Friday cleaning up after a toilet backed up in our basement. Not as much fun as hanging out with friends would have been.

Luckily there was still Saturday, and dear friends visiting. We had lunch, we took them to the beach on Sands Point, and to the Roslyn village to eat FroYo. We ended up at our house, sitting around the fire pit, having a lovely conversation. There's nothing better than to see old friends, and to realize that after some struggles they are in a good place in their lives, happy, healthy, and content, enjoying the here and now, and with dreams for the future. Very much like myself, in fact, although living in very different circumstances.

Montauk

Last Sunday hubby and me escaped to the tip of Long Island, i.e. the East End, for a 24-hour mini vacation. It was my first time in Montauk, and of course it was love at first sight. I mean, the ocean side is my happy place, and in Montauk, you can never be too far from the ocean. Driving through the Hamptons you can see a big difference between Montauk and the other towns. Montauk is much more down-to-earth. It's a bit more hippy, a bit more surfer-dude, and if not completely devoid of the "Hamptons vibe" it's much more relaxed and less of a scene.

We stayed at the Montauk Yacht Club. 

The marina of the yacht club was nice, and there were some nice yachts to admire. 

The room had a maritime theme. 

We had an early dinner at the Navy Beach restaurant. 

I loved the relaxed vibe. 

We lucked out because the weather was a bit on and off, but it was gorgeous during our dinner. 

The other clientele was quite young.. city folks out in Montauk for the weekend. 

It wasn't quite warm enough for a swim... 

We drove out to the Montauk Point to see the lighthouse. 

It's one of the oldest in America, built in 1796.

The Montauk Point beach was full of surfers. Yes, those black dots in the water are surfers. 

At this point the weather started to turn really windy. 

This guy was coming back with his paddle board. He must've fallen a few times, he was so full of cuts and bruises. Ouch! 

An interesting rock at the beach. Wonder what caused that crack...

It was a very nice little get-away, extremely relaxing. And it was good to have some time with the hubby without having to worry about anyone else or being constantly interrupted. We slept like ten hours! But I'm not sure if I'd want to stay away from the kids longer than a night or two. It may be pathetic, but I really miss them when away... 

Sunset at the Ocean

On Saturday night we went for a sunset dinner at the Ocean restaurant in Bayville, Long Island. It is an amazing spot on the beach to enjoy any time of the day, but extra special at sunset. This was my first time at this particular restaurant, and I had heard only good things about it. However, our experience was a bit strange this Saturday. We chose to sit on the sun deck lounge, and we were seated promptly, the staff was courteous and friendly. We ordered our drinks, appetizers, kids' meals, and our own main courses. Despite requesting the appetizers first they brought out the kids' meals first. Ok, not a big deal we thought. Our appetizers came soon after. We were enjoying the beautiful views, watching the sailboats in the distance, people walking on the beach, sipping sangria, having a conversation. So we didn't really even notice how much time went by and still no main courses. We only noticed after the table next to us started complaining that they never got theirs. And they arrived about an hour after us...

"The sun goes in my eyes!"

"I need sunglasses"

Ah, that's better. 

I could while away hours watching this view

The wedding guests mingled downstairs

Our waitress told us the kitchen was overwhelmed because of a wedding party going on downstairs, but that our food would arrive very soon. So we waited another half hour. But still no food. At this point it was a bout 2 hours since we had ordered, and we decided to call it a day, and asked for the check. There was no apology from the waitress, nothing was given on the house. Of course we paid for what we had been served, but it would have been nice to hear an apology or an explanation why our food never came.

The sangria was yummy

The crab cake was pretty good

So was this little mixed plate of pita, hummus, babaganoush and olives

The bride and groom being photographed

Aaaahhhh.... and the stress is just melting away while watching this.

My husband is not one to stay quiet in a situation like this, so he called for the restaurant manager and had a pretty long chat with him. The manager even recognized us from another restaurant, Prime, in Huntington, where we go every now and then, and where he used to work before. He didn't know why we never got our food, but at least he apologized for it. The Ocean supposedly has three kitchens, one for the catering area where the wedding was held, one for the lounge, and a sushi kitchen. Only the sun deck lounge had a problem with the food, so the problem must have been in that kitchen. I saw sushi orders come promptly and they looked really good. Next time I will order sushi. So yes, I will give the Ocean another chance. The view is just too beautiful to pass up going again.