down at the shore

 

My Dad and Stepmom recently bought a new house in Virginia, and are selling their Florida place.  They're still living in FL until it sells, but have come up to the VA house a couple of times to bring some things and start to get settled. 

Since this week marks the first week of no school, and since they were up at the VA house, we decided to take a little road trip and check it out for a couple of days.  The new house is about 3 1/2 hours southeast of us, on the Middle Peninsula of VA right on the water.  Its still Virginia, but its sure alot different from where we live.  Quiet and the closest Starbucks is probably 30 minutes away. Its in the sticks, but within an hour or so, you can be at Williamsburg, VA Beach,  Busch Gardens and a bunch of other places we hope to take the kids.

Here is the view down the creek from the boat dock behind their house (this leads to the Chesapeake Bay within 10 minutes), isn't it serene?  We had fun watching a determined blue heron try to catch his dinner, and the boys loved watching all the crabs in the water.

They did a little fishing with Grandpa Joe (Logan wouldn't hold a fish though):

We discovered a beach 2 miles from their house with lots of shade, sand and clean, shallow water.  We spent hours soaking it up and having a picnic.  I imagine we'll be spending many hot summer days here cooling off in the years ahead.

It was a visit filled with popsicles, laughter.... 

.... and running through the yard

 trying to catch millions of fireflies.  (Mom, why do their butts light up?)

  They decided to move for many reasons, but the first and foremost was to be geographically closer to their grandkids.  And I know the kids will have wonderful childhood memories from their visits to Grandpa Joe and Grandma Bobbie's in all the years ahead.