How Was Your Vacation, Erma?

/ roughwighting

sunrise, seashore, Ocean City NJRemember those first days of school, when the teacher asked you to write about your summer vacation? Did you focus on the days at the pool? The hours riding your bike aimlessly? Maybe your family drove for hours and hours to camp in mosquito-filled woods where the frog hums kept you up every night.

As I thought about my week vacation at the shore, Erma Bombeck came to mind. She found humor in the everyday calamities of life. Here’s a short synopsis of “what I did on my summer vacation.”

  • Beginning at 4 a.m., my daughter drove her old (ie: messy and quite used) SUV filled with suitcases, cooler, sheets/towels, one 10-year-old boy, and me to “beat the traffic.” (Her husband drove the cleaner sedan with their two other children and three other suitcases.)
  • B U T, daughter’s SUV seemed to have attracted an animal that died during the night in some hidden recess. As soon as we began our journey, our nostrils were accosted with a scent of, well, let’s just say it was horribly offensive. For seven hours.Erma Bombeck, humor
  • We were able to keep the windows open for the first three hours of the journey, but as the temps rose to 80 and above, the air conditioning was turned on full blast. For three minutes. Until the smell was so bad we all began gagging. Fan/AC off as the temps rose to 90 and we kept windows wide open on the truck-filled Garden State Parkway. Wheeeeeee.
  • Arrived at the New Jersey seashore, a family summer tradition. The condo had a lovely view of the ocean, the kids established whose room was whose, and my granddaughter and I (who shared a small room with twin beds) happily unpacked and then raced to put our feet in the surf. We all fell into bed by 10, exhausted from body surfing on the warm Atlantic Ocean waters. Heaven!Erma Bombeck, humor
  • Until a scream interrupted my sweet dreams at 2 a.m. Granddaughter (11) talked in her sleep! Every night! Loudly! In a foreign language that has never been uttered before on this planet. She happily returned to soundless sleep within five minutes. Me? Not so much.
  • I walked the beach every morning by 6:15 to watch the sunrise as the shorebirds ran back and forth, while the seagulls . . . Wait. Where were the seagulls, usually more numerous than ocean waves? Ah ha! A falcon soared along the water’s edge, scouting for miscreants, and I remembered reading that the town had hired an owl/hawk/falcon trainer to scare the gulls away. Mission accomplished. But I kind of missed the call of the gull.
  • Bike rides for miles from our rental to the famous Boardwalk, happily unchanged from my memories as a child and a teenager (where I literally received my first kiss – Under the Boardwalk). Now, I blithely claimed I could use my granddaughter’s bike and she her younger brother’s. I promptly fell down on a stone-strewn sidewalk. Brave Madre stopped blood flow with four strong Band-Aids while showing off the value of “no whining.”
  • Son-in-law cooked an enticing omelet, and wonderful mom-in-law (me) offered to clean up. An hour later, the kitchen sink was so clogged the water wouldn’t drain; even the dishwasher flooded. Dirty dishes piled up. Plumber couldn’t come for 36 hours. More dirty dishes piled up. Had I rinsed something down the drain that I shouldn’t have? I began to blame myself. Plumber finally arrived and groaned, “This is a mess.” My guilt increased until he discovered crushed lobster shells piled in the bottom of the pipes. Since we had no lobster or shellfish of any kind, the past renters were deemed the culprits. Phew!ice cream, milkshake, frappe
  • Granddaughter and I celebrated by sneaking out to the amazing ice cream parlor down the street. We ordered milkshakes that were thicker than sin.
  • By the end of vacation, I wished that summer would never end. Particularly if I’d get a bedroom to myself. And a bike that fit my adult body. And never had to clean up the kitchen. And found a way to drink a daily milkshake and never gain a pound.

rainbow, rainbow over the ocean, Ocean City NJAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. What did YOU do on your summer vacation?

153 thoughts on “How Was Your Vacation, Erma?”

  1. Pam, A* on your ‘what I did in my summer holidays’ report! I’m laughing, cringing … thororoughly enjoying the snippets of your family togetherness. The milkshake looks delicious and I think your granddaughter is finishing yours! The early morning walks sound divine, less so the flood and horrid car smell! Now, what was causing the stench? You can’t keep us in suspense! hugs xx

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    • Hiiiii Annika! So excited to read your comment. And many thanks for the A. 🙂 My granddaughter and I have a similar sense of humor, so I complied when she suggested I photograph her drinking from both of our shakes. It was a sneaky way for her to get sips from both!
      The cause of the stench? By the time the car was detailed in and out, whatever had been there was, ahem, decomposed. ;-(

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  2. Ah yes… I always enjoyed reading Erma Bombeck, but hated those essays about how my summer vacation went.

    Well… Seems yours was rather challenging haha.Not sure which is worse, the bad smell or the being woken in the middle of the night scenario. The bad smell did remind me of a trip we did from San Francisco to Santa Cruz with my sons dog that had rolled in seal excrement, or something like that, and basically you take what should be a more than pleasurable drive and transcend into stench for a few hours. Challenging to say the least. Been there done that!!

    Thank goodness for thick milkshakes or my equivalent which is the croissant, to make all the ills drift away. Your granddaughter is super cute, albeit the talking in her sleep every night!

    Great read. Now that’s a vacation essay for the books!!

    Peta

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    • I laughed out loud about the rolled-in seal stench. We had a golden who loved doing that also when we walked him along a west coast beach. Once we moved to New England, he moved on to horse and deer poop. Ah, our animals. ❤

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  6. You will enjoy looking back at this blog when the grands have moved into “teen” status. I agree: no ketchup drenched fries for the falcons or gulls.

    I’m just 12 miles from Jacksonville Beach. A beach walk would do me good – after Dorian passes by, of course! 🙂

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    • Thinking of you as we watch Doran’s progress from here in the Northeast. Another friend lives in St. Augustine and they are all ‘battening down the hatches.” Keep us posted. Be safe and take care. Let’s hope that in a week, you’ll be able to walk those beaches again. ❤

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  7. Despite all the bad, I sense you still had a wonderful vacation–but I hope you have one without all the mishaps last year, and you have your own room! The raptors in OC has received a lot of favorable attention. I think it’s a great program–though I like to watch the gulls. Just a few years ago, a gull snatched a PB&J sandwich out of my grown daughter’s hand! No vacation for me this year, but maybe some other time. 🙂

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    • Every year something funny (in a not-funny way) happens, and for years later, we get to laugh about it. You’re so right – what fun would it be if everything turned out perfectly on a vacation? I suppose we should say that about life, too.

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  10. Ocean City is the best. Glad you were able to find humor in all the problems you faced and ended up having a fabulous vacation. I was curious if those falcons worked – sounds like they do. Not sure what of think about the falcons though…

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  11. Oh, despite all the mishaps, your story describes so many fun memories of Jersey shore vacations. I’ve never heard of using a falconer to ward away seagulls, and although I do like the “caw caw” sounds, we’ve had many seagull snack attacks on the boardwalk. Hope you brought home some salt water taffy and a couple hermit crabs!

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    • I bought salt water taffy (sent it to my CA grandkids) and brought a box of Boardwalk fudge to my mom’s caregivers, who devoured the contents like it was the best fudge in the world (which it is). 🙂
      I’ve always felt really sorry for those poor hermit crabs. So no, I just said waved HI to them as I walked by the little Boardwalk stores that sold them. Oh, however, I did (again) buy an OC sweatshirt. They feel just right on cold winter days.

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  12. Knowing you, once you’re “rested up” from your vacation, you’ll look back with fond memories and all of the mishaps will be forgotten. Sadly, I don’t have a summer vacation report for you, but I have enjoyed our hummies. I just love that photo of your granddaughter, Pam!

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    • Granddaughter Sophie and I have a similar sense of humor, so we both thought this photo was a fine idea. But she gulped in more sips than she should have of MY shake. 🙂
      Our hummers are still active here (I don’t want them to leave!!!), and my guy recently added a tall lavender/purple plant on our back deck (near their feeder) and they are loving those flowers.
      Your book just got added to my Kindle (I had pre-ordered). So fun to see it pop in there!!

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      • Sophie is adorable! I know, I get sad thinking about the hummies departing, Pam. Our action is still going strong, but I’m afraid Dorian might chase them away. Thanks for the pre-order! I’m glad it popped in…enjoy! 🙂

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  14. Your “What I Did No My Summer Vacation” report is spectacular. I like knowing where you had your first kiss, which technically had nothing to do with this vacation, and I like knowing that somewhere in this world you can still get a super thick milkshake. Also, sorry about the plumber. And the dead animal smell, but overall your vacation sounds great.

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    • What’s a bit surreal is walking/biking down that Boardwalk with my grandkids and realizing it looks exactly as it did ____ years ago when my girlfriends and I met a bunch of boys (we were 15, maybe) and I fell instantly in love with one of them (at least for the next hour) and we walked under those Boards and yes, he kissed me. Fast. Hurried. But sincerely. Ah. Perhaps that is why I’m still such a romantic.
      However, my granddaughter is NOT allowed to do that….. 🙂

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  16. Love this so much! What can be better than a summer at the sea! MY HAPPY PLACE to be!
    But what, they drove away the seagulls?? How dare they! I love seagulls, they are a part of the ocean!

    I will be going to the ocean with a friend in 2 weeks for a couple days. 🙂
    My summer has been full and fun. My family and I went on a trip by train to British Columbia! Was amazing! My post, “Smiles from Vancouver” tells of the reason we went there! 🙂 You may find a surprise. 🙂

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  17. It sounds like you could have been on vacation with the Reades! It was wonderful to see you, as always, and I’m already looking forward to our next get-together. Glad you made it home safely and hopefully in a car that was odor-free!

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  18. We too always did a NJ beach vacation but with our siblings until health and mobility issues started to creep in. We have wonderful stories of overeating, overdrinking, oversinging, overlaughing…hmmm, there seems to be a theme here…

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    • Well, what good is a vacation if it’s not all OVERdone? Although OVER laughing and singing and eating and drinking sound like an ideal way to spend time at the NJ seashore. Glad my seashore memories reminded you of yours, Kate.

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  20. Thanks for the romp through your summer vacation disasters Pam! I’m glad you and Erma can find humor in the challenges of life. It’s a skill I’d like to develop. Sadly no summer fun here, all work and not much play makes Brad a dreary dude. 🙂

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    • To be honest, from your blog I must disagree. I don’t think there’s a dreary bone in your body, Brad. But sometimes those of us who are most sensitive (and functioning introverts) can get pulled back from the energy of others. Hope you find YOUR energy soon.

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  21. So you had fun with the family at the beach. What could be better? The plugged dishwasher was one scene I could forego, but the rest sounded like fun enough. I found the falcon video really interesting. I had no idea seagulls would become that bold. Bold, yes, but flying right in to take food from people trying to eat it!? I think the falcon idea is excellent. It’s not that we want to hurt seagulls but forcing them to go find their own (natural) food is better for the seagulls too. It reminded me of when I saw a mother letting her toddler feed Cheezies to widgeon in the park. That was so bad for the bird’s health.

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    • Yes, drives me crazy when I see humans feeding ‘human food’ (if we can call Cheezies and pretzels and doughnuts human food) to the wildlife. So harmful in many ways.
      But the seagulls – gosh I miss them. However, I’ve seen them first hand grab food with their beaks out of the hands of babes and the elderly (and everyone in between), so this seems to be the most humane way to clear them off the beach for a while.

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  22. You had me laughing with your accounts, but appreciating too! I felt that car ride along with your and the bike spill. I’m craving an milk shake and maybe some lobster:) My summer was lots of older grandkids adventures, including games, swimming, and all the Harry Potter movies.

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    • Sounds like you had a wonderful loving summer also! I’m still savoring the taste of the super thick milkshake (my granddaughter chose the combination of mint chocolate chip and chocolate ice cream in the shake). Best ever! But now I’ll have to wait a year to experience it again.
      Watching all the Harry Potter movies with your grands…? Pure joy.

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  23. I think of you each time my neighbor’s dogs disturb my sleep in the morning with their never-ending contest of who could speak louder!!…Only Pam can write this story…I tell myself! Your stories of converting everyday tidbits into an interesting account make you a loving writer! Thanks for sharing.

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    • I’m highly complimented that you think I can find something funny/touching about barking dogs in-the-middle-of-the night/early morning. Hmmmm, well, actually, ten years ago we lived in a beautiful neighborhood where the neighbor behind us decided to breed Labs and let them race up and down their yard yapping all hours of the day and night. My guy got so mad he made a phone video of the dogs/barking and sent it to the town’s police chief. One day later we saw a cop drive up to the neighbor’s house and knock on the door. Warning and penalty given. Dogs left outside less. Yay! 🙂
      Happy September, my friend.

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  25. Ah, a traditional seaside holiday 🙂 A lot to be said for it as so many now insist on ‘destination’ holidays (or at least they do in Europe & Asia). Here in Jersey (C.I.) our beaches are virtually empty on the hottest days whereas they were once packed. Nice to read some nostalgia 🙂

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    • You bring up a fascinating point, Roy. It’s a real pleasure to live nostalgia in the “present.” A bit rare, I suppose but I hope it continues for my family. For you, it’s rather a positive that your beaches are empty for your own enjoyment, with friends, while the rest of the world is someplace else. 🙂
      On another note, I’m SO glad I read your book Supply and Demand over my vacation. I’m sorry it took so long to get to it. As difficult as the subject is, this book is my favorite of yours.

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      • Yes Pam, thank you so much for the positive and thoughtful review. I know that not too many will want to read S&D but I was pleased to have finally got that story done, and happy if a few anyway choose to read it.

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    • Sleep is much improved, now that I’m not sharing a room with my loquacious granddaughter. 🙂 My brother and his family live in MD, and for years they always met us at the OC NJ beach (instead of DE or MD). However, now that his kids are in their roaring 20s, they insist on vacationing at the OC MD beach (lots more action/bars). Sad, since that beach is nowhere as nice as the Jersey shore. Our saving grace is that we figure once they settle down and start their own families, they’ll decide to return to the more family-centric Jersey beach.

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  27. I chuckled through a great deal of your summer report Pam. Sounds like Madre was a busy girl and I have no doubt went home with a treasure chest of memories and thankful for a peaceful night of rest.

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  28. The lady over the road has family and grandkids staying with her. They all went out for an extended visit today, and I could almost hear the sigh of relief from over here. And she loves them dearly 🙂 🙂

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  30. I read your post with a smile on my face. What a great vacation even with all the mishaps. Did you have a dead skunk in your car? No summer vacation for me this year. I had to be a caregiver but everything turned out all right.

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  31. Day trips to the coast and spotting monarch butterflies (38 so far) here at home… Miss those summers when the grands !were little and the omg moments were many. Glad to hear your vacation was filled with family and fun…memories made.

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  32. All those calamities make for great stories. I can’t wait to see them turning up in your books! The dead thing was the worst, ugh. I missed summer this year with parent stuff, but I’ll make up for it next year. 😀 Thanks for the laugh, Pam. ❤

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    • Your summer was productive in so many ways, Diana, even though you had to take a blogging break. Your parents are better off for your summer sacrifice, and your Indie book reviews have made many writers and readers happy. ❤
      P.S. I hope I never put a dead chipmunk or mouse or whateveritwas in one of my fictional books. But then again, we both know to never say never….

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  33. I have not had a summer vacation this year, but will go on vacation in the fall. Your trip reminded me of the days when we visited my older sister and her family at Folly Beach, SC. An old beach house with crab bait stored in the only refrigerator on the porch. My husband and brother in law took the chicken necks out to fish for crab and always brought home plenty to feed us an the neighbors. Every time the fridge door opened the smell of those chicken necks poured out and almost made me gag.
    I’m sure you would endure anything to spend that time with your grands. Enjoyed your post.

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    • Laughing and grimacing at the same time, Glenda. Chicken neck smells – Y U C K! Yet, look how that scenario has left lasting wonderful memories.
      However, I’m not sure I’ll try to remember the ‘dead animal’ in the car vent smell – but like your memories, I probably can’t pick and choose. 🙂

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  34. The worst times make the best stories. Love all of it and feel for you with the stink. No vacation here. I’m retired, every day is Saturday and a workday all rolled into one. At least I’m my own boss. My kid came to visit so that was kind of a vacation. 😉 Now that I look at your life, mine seems like it would be boring to others. But I love it. Yours is a fun read. Grands make it worth it is my best guess.

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    • Oh nonononono. My daily life is wonderfully boring. (And my adult children told me so when they were in their 20s.). Boring is good. I usually have my tea in the morning. start writing by 6, hope for 1000 words at least, blog, go out for my dancing or yoga classes, more writing/reading, you know. Boring stuff that is the best stuff in the world. ❤

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    • Good to have one of both (fixit and who-cares). I learned long ago that to keep myself sane, I gotta be as easy-going as the tide that flows in and out. Laugh. Sigh. Laugh. Sigh. Laugh. Sigh. 🙂

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  37. I grew up at the Jersey Shore and LOVED it! We were 15 – 20 minutes inland but it was an easy hop, skip and a jump to Point Pleasant, Manasquan, Sandy Hook, etc.

    So glad that you rolled with the punches and enjoyed your summer vacation. I would miss the cry of the gulls too!

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    • Somehow the Jersey shore just isn’t the same without those gulls. Makes me want to travel back down there in the Fall, when I’m figuring the hawks and falcons have been retired for the year. Except I don’t want to drive the 7 hours in a smelly car. Or share a room with my talks-in-her-sleep granddaughter. Or worry about dirty dishes that can’t be cleaned. Hmmm, maybe I’ll just watch a video of sea gulls. 🙂
      I love knowing that you grew up near the Jersey shore. From one Jersey girl to anther – CHEERS!

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  38. Beautiful and entertaining summer reportage, Pam! No summer vacation for us (ever), but I have to admit that these weeks on the road have been less stressful than all the months/years prior, which certainly helps. And, despite plenty of rainy days, Nova Scotia is.. beautiful and entertaining. Can you believe I’ve never been to the Jersey shore?

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    • In some ways, I must admit, I think of you two as having a vacation full time, with the traveling and visiting other destinations. I know, sorry, the reality is that the traveling is stressful. Perhaps the time in Newburyport was a bit vacation-y. Except with the lost dog activity – ack. I visited Nova Scotia a couple of decades ago and always wanted to return – so beautiful. But I got motion sick on the ferry across from Portland ME to NS, then camped for over a week with gorgeous weather every day. Bay of Fundy? Incredible. I’ve enjoyed reading your experiences there.
      NOW, NEXT YEAR – you must find a way to explore the Jersey shore!!!

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      • Having the gorgeous weather in Nova Scotia Sure helps! Anywhere for that matter. In regards to vacation full-time… not sure how that would be possible without being retired. My husband and I both have to work still, but are freelancers, so more flexible than others. Up to a year ago, he spent between 8-10 hours a day behind his computer, which we had to combine with the sailing life, the RV life, and the house sitting life, as he ran that business for nine years. Challenging? That’s expressing it lightly. 🙂

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  39. Hi Pam, I loved and I still love Erma Bombeck. One quote I have never forgotten (paraphrasing) when she was asked which one of her children she loved the most, instead of saying each one equally, she said “the one that needs me the most.” I have never forgotten this.

    I love your description of all the chaos amidst the fond memories of yesteryear.

    No story to share if everything is too perfect:) Love the photos!

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    • Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone, but I drove home in a different car. (!!!) But I’m told the ride back wasn’t quite as bad in the stinky car. Whatever was in there decomposed and then the car got auto-detailed, including a smoke bomb that cleared out the inner vents. Oh, the ‘humor’ of life. 🙂

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  41. Somehow, our dreams of vacation and the reality of our vacations never quite match up! But that’s okay, because we still got to go somewhere fun and spend time with the people we love. And I can SO relate to this post!

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    • I’m laughing as I read how you can relate to my vacation woes (and joys, definitely the joys). Yes, our expectations are never matched in the way we think they may be. But that’s the “FUN” of life, yes? 🙂

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    • When I think back to the shore vacation, I already get all nostalgic and sad that it went by so fast. Somehow the memory of the smell and stack of dirty dishes has faded, but the laughter and taste of that milkshake have remained. 🙂

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  43. Isn’t it funny how, with all the craziness that goes on at times like these, that we still wouldn’t trade it for the world? Well, there’a always planning for next year! (And who puts lobster shells down a sink?)

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    • Weirdly, I’m already looking forward to next year’s vacation, as smelly or dirty or crazy as it may be. 🙂 I know, lobster shells? Down a SINK? (They obviously tried to use the garbage disposal – so wrong). Plus, who eats lobster in NJ? We New Englanders think lobsters should be enjoyed fresh — in NE!! :-0

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  45. Hey Pam, I’m so glad I found your blog! I’ve never been here before, but I’ll be coming back! Sounds like your trip to the seashore was lots of fun despite a hiccup here and there. I think Erma would approve. The highlight of my summer included meeting bloggers friends from all over the country. We met in Tulsa and spent a long weekend talking, writing, eating, shopping, having fun. Sleeping, talking, writing, eating. Loved every single moment! Mona

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    • I’m so glad you skipped and hopped over here, Mona. Your blog is delightful and humorous and …. maybe what Erma would create were she still alive in this time and age of …. Well, let’s just say humor is necessary for our sanity.
      Sounds like you had a blogging-good time meeting friends in Tulsa. TULSA? I wonder why Tulsa. My parents lived in Oklahoma City when I was in college, and I gotta tell ya, I thought it was a really neat place. But have never been back since.

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      • Why Tulsa? While it does seem like an odd choice, there was a very good reason. As it turned out, one blogger friend lives in Tulsa (Kat at Angel Who Swears), another friend is from Missouri and another friend is from North Carolina. I’m in Texas. So Tulsa seemed to work best for the four of us to converge! Don’t get me started on driving through Tulsa. I’m still having nightmares. But all in all, it was a pretty awesome place for a long weekend stay. And yes, one does have to have a sense of humor in order to stay on just this side of sanity! Mona

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  46. Altogether it sounds like a wonderful time to be with family and you certainly will share memories that will always bring a smile. The dead animal in the car is quite the story, too! Honestly, there is NO bad day if there’s an ocean within walking distance! I do think Erma would have applauded your good attitude in the face of many occurrences that could have brought on complaints and ruined the time for everyone! Sounds like a great vacation…with a few bumps! 🙂

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  47. Pam, what a hoot to read your account of your summer vacation! As for smelly dead things in cars, my worst experience was fishing with dogs at the river. Both dogs decided to roll in decomposing spawned out salmon. Then we all crammed into the car to drive home. Ewwww. Of course, there was also the time our current dog decided to engage with a skunk who visited the compost pile the night before our summer vacation… ahh, dogs!

    Jude

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    • Ewwwww. Yes, decomposing spawned-out salmon even trumps whatever was decomposing in my daughter’s car. At least that was in the inner parts of the car, not right there on a smelly dog! But I’ve had my own doggy horrid-smell stories, and the worst definitely was when he got skunked. I had never realized that a smell like that can make you actively completely sick-to-your-stomach for hours.;-0 As you say, ahhhh, dogs. 🙂

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  48. But look how much fun you had, lol. Next time you need a girl getaway complete with Margaritas – and no bikes, lol. Glad you’re okay, and look at all the memories you made! Me, I spent half the summer waiting for summer. then it passed. The end. 🙂 ❤

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  49. Using birds of prey to keep the gulls at bay sounds like a good idea. Our beach uses the periodic blaring of a recording of gulls crying in distress as a gull deterrent, with mixed results. The few brave ones continue to try stealing food. But humans are to blame for the problem in the first place. They feed them and then wonder why they come back for more…

    The comedy of errors that was your vacation had me in stitches! 🙂 That stinky ride to your destination was just a foregleam of the trials to come. Glad you survived it all! I loved Erma Bombeck, too.

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    • I’ll admit, while driving to vacation, adding a gash to my leg, and sleeping as unsoundly as possible, I didn’t think it would be possible to share my vacation “joys.” But Erma, bless her and her wonderful comedic take on life, inspired me once I returned home. 🙂

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  51. I read this the other day and laughed–in sympathy and appreciation for the “truth” of what often happens on vacation. My friend and I were talking on the phone yesterday…I was admiring the wonder of her most recent trip from Facebook photos. Then she said, “OK, let me tell you the REAL story”. I am posting Italy pics right now and smiling thinking of all the unspoken things that fleshed out the trip. What can’t be told, or won’t be told, or refuses to be told except in the right circumstances when one sits before an open heart and paints outside of the box to include it all. I like what you included here, my friend!

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  52. Such a wonderful description Pam, and be relief knowing it wasn’t you who had blocked the sink.. 😉 lol
    As for grandchildren talking and screaming in their sleep, I have an eight year old granddaughter who sleeps regularly, not only does she scream, have night mares, but she sleep walks.. On the nights of her sleep over’s Grandma is on Night duty alert… Then I crash out the next day 🙂
    Good to know all in all you all had a great time, besides smells, scrapped knees, blocked sinks and bad for your health milkshakes.. lol..

    Made me smile… 🙂 Enjoy the peace of Autumn.. 🙂 ❤

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    • Oh. My. A sleep talker and screamer and walker. Triple scary. I hope both of our granddaughters grow out of their night time activities. I figure they have a lot of excess energy (and imagination) in their sleeping brains.
      I think, considering the lack of grandmotherly sleep we get at times, we DESERVE a milkshake as thick as our grandkids’ dreams. 🙂 xo

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      • Hahah to the deserving of milkshakes..Shussssh my favourite treat is ice-cream… Magnums.. don’t know if you have them over there, ice-cream on a stick covered in set chocolate.. 🙂
        And yes to the excess energy.. She is super alert, and highly intelligent, and gets bored so easy she has to be doing stimulating things all day.. Don’t know where on earth she gets it from.. lol.. Lets hope they both settle into calmer routine sleep patterns.. 🙂 ❤

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  54. Well I’m sure those challenges will be something to laugh about for years to come! And no doubt you’ll be able to tease Granddaughter about her night time alien tongue for years to come too 🙂 But even so it kind of sounds heavenly! I’ve just started my ‘summer’ vacation, two glorious weeks off work, no trip away but the break is enough and hey, the sea is only 5 minutes down the road!

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    • In hindsight, the summer beach break was a bit of heaven, smell or no smell, sleep or no sleep. To walk along the ocean, smell the air, and drink a milkshake with a darling one, that is bliss
      I wish bliss for you on your two week break from routine. Enjoy the quiet, the rest, and that sea so close to your soul.

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