Lob-sta and the Annual Family Picnic: A Look Back at Summer ... Delsora Lowe

I would classify our annual lobster bake as a family picnic.

Every July, my daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons leave Denver to descend on Maine. They coordinate the trip with my daughter’s best friend from high school and her family, who now live in Atlanta.

The fun begins.

Boat rides and kayaking off Bailey and Orr’s Island. Checking out our favorite- and some brand-new restaurants, zeroing in on seafood. But the highlight of the week is the “family” picnic, which includes high school friends, as well as their children and parents who still live in the area. We all bring salads, desserts, and hors d’oeuvres. Then we steam lobster in big pots over a fire outside, plus grill for those who don’t like—shaking my head, because who could say NO to
—lobster.

The entire event is a mini-reunion every summer. And, in essence, aside from the “rivalry” between graduates of two area high schools, one big family picnic.

But the true joy to me, is the entire week leading up to the grand finale of the lobster bake. My daughter and friend have been “besties” for over thirty-five years. The two were either at my house or her friend’s house all through high school. They were in each other’s weddings. Their children are similar ages, and despite living in different states, they see each other often, and spend the week in Maine glued to each other. Both ended up marrying two wonderful men they met at a college reunion, who are also best friends, having met at the same college.

So, for me, my daughter’s friend is like my second daughter and her husband is like my newest son-in-law. I’m lucky to have a wonderful son-in-law, and his bestie college friend, who always treats me like family.

This year, with a rental cottage right on the ocean, the views are spectacular, with plenty of kayaks, sailboats, and motor boats, plus seals, ducks, seagulls, and we suspect, from following the shark app, an occasional Great White who have been invading our coastal waters as they have warmed substantially.

Ocean winds, cloud formations, the slant of the sun, and the rise and fall of tides ensures the view continually changes. Add the beautiful day lilies, cornflowers, and beach roses with the rosy-orange rose hips ripening into fall, the setting is ideal for a summer vacation.

So, on a scorching summer July evening, being on the water with breezes and temps ten-degrees cooler than the middle of town, fifteen miles away, we enjoyed a wonderful “family” reunion, with plenty of chatter, eating, and excitement at the end.

The sun dipped in a fiery orange ball and bounced off equally tangerine-colored clouds. The woman next door flew a rainbow-colored, box-kite for her young son. The tide moved in, causing waves to lap against the rocks in front of the cottage and surge through the opening under the bridge.

And within seconds a mass of seagulls stormed the shoreline, squawking and swooping in from every direction to pluck the remains of the lobster shells from the rocks where we set out their buffet.

  

Memories abound and will be forever stored in the treasure chest of favorite occasions in the farthest reaches of our brains. Here’s to another great summer. Already looking forward to next year’s “family” picnic.

What kind of Summer fun did you have? Or are you looking ahead to Fall fun?

The Inn on Gooseneck Lane

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cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her newest novella is The Love Left Behind. Look for both a Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker) later this fall.

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 Photo Credits: Delsora Lowe