AAAHHHHH.........

Our Long Awaited Visit to Nick & Mary's Beach House

We've spent the past 4 days in heaven. Little did we know it was just an hour plane ride away! We had an absolute, hands down, wicked awesome time in Massachusetts this past week. Nick & Mary were/are the ultimate hosts. The house is fabulous; the food - delicious & plentiful; the Hostess - a full on charmer with an easy laugh and warm heart; the Host - just plain mean at the grill... with beer and cigar in hand, there's nothing that Nick can't cook!!!

After a quick (on-time!) flight from Baltimore to Boston, Nick picked us up and we were at the "Irish Riviera" within 45 minutes. The weather was fantastic, so we dropped our bags, got into our swim suits and took the 2 minute stroll to the beach. We relaxed with drinks in hand until the incoming tide chased us back to the house. Nick & Mary prepared a wonderful dinner of grilled beef and chicken and we enjoyed catching up with everyone's news. It had been nearly 2 years since we had seen Nick, Mary and Ryan (Thanksgiving 2005).

Friday was another beautiful, perfect beach day. The girls went for a stroll on the beach in search of crabs while James & Nick held down the fort with a cooler full of beers. We had sandwiches on the beach and then Josie & I headed back for her afternoon nap. Mary joined us an hour later. By 3PM the tide had come in and the rest of gang made their way home. That evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Haddad's. Everyone had fresh fish which was delicious. We left the restaurant just as a thunderstorm swept through...we managed to squeeze in a bit of shopping and made it home dry and happy.

The storm brought in cooler temperatures - it was 60 degrees on Saturday morning. We did a bit of shopping in the morning and then headed off to the Marshfield Fair. It was a windy afternoon, which made it really comfortable to go through the animal exhibits. Maddie & Ryan tried two or three of the carnival rides and decided to pass on the rest. Both were a bit 'green around the gills'!! After a relaxing afternoon, we enjoyed another awesome meal together and settled in to watch the Sox game.

The end of our visit came too soon - our flight left Logan at 9AM this morning. Just enough time to grab a cup of coffee; listen to Maddie beg to stay; load up the car and have Josie dole out her 'bunny kisses' to Aunt Mary and Uncle Nick. We had such a wonderful time, it really was hard to say goodbye. Nick & Mary have found the perfect spot. Marshfield is a town where everyone says hello and stops to chat. We just loved it. We also loved spending time with Nick, Mary and Ryan. We just can't thank them enough for such a warm welcome.

Here's a slide show of some of the fun we had in the past few days: