Scituate

July 6, 2009

Kathy & Al

Jim

Scituate

James & Al

For our final day in Marshfield, we were invited to spend the day with Kathy’s Aunt Kathy & Uncle Al who live in nearby Scituate. We went over to enjoy a great lunch and then spend yet another perfect day at the beach, this time Scituate beach, which is only a couple of blocks walk from their home.





The weather was once again perfect and the beach was fantastic once again. It seemed as if the weather got more and more wonderful each day that we spent in Massachusetts. Kathy & Al spend time in Key West during the holidays each year, but it is nice to be able to spend some time at their beautiful home. Kathy has a spectacular garden and grows all sorts of amazing things, including her renowned gourds. Al is an expert on beekeeping and there is a link to the website he maintains included among my links to the right.



Al

Chris

We spent the afternoon before heading back for our final evening at the Kilroy home. All in all it was a splendid vacation. Many of our trips are so busy and stressful that we come home actually needing another vacation to recover, this wasn’t one of those trips. It was relaxing and truly enjoyable and we departed feeling like we could have extended our stay. You always like to leave wanting more.



Bayla

Kathy, Michael & Sophie

I have included in this post some photos taken over the weekend by Kari Kilroy that I hope capture some of the good natured fun that we experienced. Thanks to the entire extended Kilroy family and especially to Jim for hosting us.

Alan & Chris

Julie

We were back at Logan on Monday for the flights home to Key West. It all went smoothly and by the afternoon we were back in the sweltering 90+ degree, 90+ percent humidity of the Florida Keys. After the perfect conditions in Marshfield, it seemed like we were stepping into a steam bath. Our pets were thrilled to see us and our friends Aja, Peter & Katie and Daisy & Cookie took great care of the house, yard and pets. Thanks so much to them all for being such wonderful friends and watching over things while we were gone. I have a sneaky feeling that India actually enjoys the attention she gets when we go away.


Al & Kathy

Water World

July 4, 2009

James



Water World



Marshfield is a place where water plays a significant role in the landscape and in the character of the community. The marsh itself, the North & South Rivers, various creeks and tidal flows along with the beach itself are important in the ebb and flow of daily life. The tides are important here and water plays a critical role in the all aspects of life in the coastal community. Of course all that water makes for a pretty wonderful playground for any number of activities and we took advantage of many of them on July 4th.

Bayla & Kathy



The day started with another trip through the marsh to the dock to swim in the river to start the day. The water was cool and crisp, but much warmer than it had been during our previous visits to swim. The weather was near perfect, sunny and bright in the mid-70s with no humidity. Swimming in the river varies based on the tidal flows, there is a great difference between the high and low tides, with islands being exposed or not based on the tide.

Bayla & Sophie

The rivers offer perfect locations for swimming, kayaking, fishing, boating and letting the kids test their homemade boats. It is a wonderful and refreshing place to swim and hang out, but we wanted more so we headed over the bridge to the beach to spend a beach day.







It was almost impossible to tell that the previous evening had hosted massive bonfires and fireworks displays; the beach was back to its more usual state of beauty. The surf was pretty decent, which allowed for some fun boogie boarding and body surfing. It was certainly much chiller than the warm beaches of Key West, but once you get acclimated it really is awesome.





We spent the better part of the afternoon hanging at the beach. Kathy brought out a kite to take advantage of the steady breeze and fun was had kiting until James accidently attempted to drink and hold the kite at the same time. The kite is no doubt still soaring somewhere over the Eastern Atlantic as I write this. We had a great time at the beach, but still wanted another water experience. Having yet to swim in a lake, we opted for the Finnish Sauna in nearby Pembroke.





Sophie, Bayla & Julie

The UKTS sauna is a frequent stop for Kathy & I on our trips to Marshfield. It basically consists of a European style sauna at the edge of a beautiful lake. You sit in the 200 degree sauna till you can’t take it; then head for the cool waters of the lake before repeating the process. It is wonderfully refreshing and cleansing and really enjoyable experience and a perfect cap on a water-filled day in Marshfield.

Drifter

Celebrate

July 3, 2009





Celebrate



The July 4th celebration is held along the South Shore a day early, on July 3rd. Kathy assures me that this is due to the fact that the word of our nation’s independence was actually heard here a day earlier before spreading across the rest of the country. I have no idea if this is the case, but there is no question that the party here is the night of July 3rd and thousands flock to the beach for a fireworks and bonfire party unlike any I have ever witnessed.





Before that though, we spent the day preparing a huge meal for the entire extended family and friends. Kathy & I had gone on a midnight shopping spree and we had ordered a huge lobster feast from the Brant Rock Seafood Market, which cooked up 16 Maine lobsters and 3 lbs. of shrimp to go with the steak, chicken and variety of salads and veggies that accompanied the feast. While there, we experienced the last passing shower of the weekend, which gave way to perfect beautiful weather for the weekend.

Betty & Phil

Sophie & Bayla

James

The day was spent preparing the meal with another visit to the river thrown in for good measure. The crowd then started to arrive for the meal. In addition to the immediate Kilroy relations, we were joined by our friends Betty & Phil and Carolyn and Kathy’s aunt Kathy and uncle Al. It was a huge and festive crowd that joined in for the feast.





Chris & Bayla

After the meal, we all headed over to the beach in Humarock for the annual fireworks and bonfire extravaganza. For miles along the coast there are literally hundreds of humongous bonfires that line the beach every 20 feet or so. Technically illegal, it seems that the local authorities have basically given up any attempts to quell the massive, seemingly spontaneous celebration.





Just before sunset, lines of people carrying wooden pallets and just about anything else that will burn stream out of the beach houses like a parade of ants to erect massive mountains of flammable materials which are ignited just as the sun goes down. In addition there are countless displays of fireworks that rival any community celebration that I have seen. In fact, it’s as if there are a hundred or more fireworks displays, each as big as the display we get in Key West, and they last literally for hours, well past midnight. You really have to experience it to get the full experience as photos really don’t do justice to either the huge fires or the fireworks.





It was a wonderful experience and one that never really gets old. One of those hidden gem, local treasures that can be found in communities across the country.

Marshfield

July 2, 2009





Marshfield



For the big July 4th weekend, Kathy & I were on a plane bound from Key West to Boston to visit Kathy’s childhood home in Marshfield, which is on the South Shore about 30 miles or so south of Boston. The entire Kilroy clan was to be in attendance for a big holiday reunion celebration.

Sophie





Flying these days has become an exercise in patience, it seems that you are as likely as not to experience delays, cancelations and such when dealing with airlines. This trip was no exception as we had no sooner boarded our connection in Atlanta when we were asked to deplane for a 3 hour delay in our flight into Logan.

Kathy & Sophie





At least this time we actually knew the reason as there was terrible weather blanketing New England with heavy rain and fog. It has been dreadful weather for more than a month throughout the area and we arrived to heavy downpours, thick fog and chilly temperatures in the low 60s.

James

The Kilroys

None of that hampered our arrival into Marshfield and it didn’t even stop us from trekking through the marsh down to the river to swim upon arrival at Kathy’s father’s home, which is in beautiful marsh front location, just across the South River from the beach. The fog made for an eerie setting for a chilly swim in the river, but it did not deter Kathy, her brother Chris or his children Sophie & James from swimming. Chris & Kari and the kids had arrived at Grandpa Jim’s (on a delayed flight) the previous day from their home in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

Jim & Sophie

The rain & chill made for the perfect opportunity to build a fire, play cards and just relax around the house between treks to the Marsh to swim. The first day and a half we were here the rain & fog gradually lifted and cleared away, slowly transforming to almost perfect, beautiful summer conditions. Family & friends began to converge on the house to celebrate the big July 3rd celebration at the Kilroy home. Kathy’s older sister Julie along with her husband Alan and their daughter Bayla came down from their home in nearby Brookline to complete the immediate Kilroy family reunion and more friends and family were expected as well.





The proximity of the river and the swimming dock make this a perfect location for kids. James and Sophie took great pride in creating boats to sail about the river and Chris & I brought Jim’s kayaks down to get in on the fun. Chris even managed to sneak in a few minutes of fishing, landing a 16 inch striper during his short time fishing. All in all it was a wonderful and relaxing start to our family vacation.