Just about my favorite place in the whole world is our family’s beach house in Rhode Island. The minute I walk in the door, all I can think about is getting to the beach, seeing family and friends and relaxing in a house that has a lower threshold of responsibilities (at least during July and August).
During a brief visit in the late 1950’s, my parents quickly fell in love with the ocean, the beach, the pond, the people and the tempo of a Quonnie summer day. They decided to build a cottage and set down roots there. They lived the summer dream for the next fifty odd years, until they could no longer make the trip.
To my great joy and relief, the very first time my future husband visited Quonochontaug, he immediately recognized its charms and announced, “I like it here.” With that, he opened a book and happily passed an afternoon reading a biography of Theodore Roosevelt. It was a window into the future.
A day at the beach with a good book is one of the finer elixir’s in life. Better yet, after a day of fun, a nice dinner and feeling the pleasant effect of a full day and perhaps, a bit of wine, a good read at night is one of my greatest creature comforts.
Our current house features the new mixed in with the old. It was built in 1978, and not much had been changed over the years, Continue reading “The Beach House Bookshelves”