nantucket photo journal: part 1

i have to preface this entire post by expressing much gratitude for the generosity and hospitality of the louise and jim ozias. (prepare for run-on) friends of theirs attend another local church here called the fellowship, and through that couple, the pastor of the fellowship, bernie powell, shared with dave at one of their monthly prayer meetings that the ozias' kindly open their home to pastors and their families to come stay with them on nantucket for free. yes, free. they have a nice little apartment over their garage that they graciously let us stay in and enjoy all that charming nantucket has to offer. God really is good. we had the opportunity to sit and chat with jim and louise one of the nights we were there and they have such a great story; from how they met and came to live in nantucket...about the church that met in their house for nearly a decade...about the love they had for their son, dave, who loved people almost as much as surfing, but passed away unexpectedly from a blood clot in 2001. and about how much they grew to love the Lord even more fully through that loss, and how his life and their strength and faith has shown so many on the island what the grace and peace of God is. an amazing couple. blessed to have met them and shared stories over boston cream pie. elias called them "jim and louisey" :)

with that said. here's some photos of our trip to the lovely island of nantucket.

this is pip driving the car on the ferry. we actually went over on a barge because it was the first boat to come in, and we had decided last minute to take our car (thank GOD we did), so we didn't have a reservation. wouldn't you know it, though, we were the very last car to get on the very first boat. God provides again.

elias spent the entire time (it takes 2 full hours on a big slow barge) with his head out the sun roof.

the view sitting in the front seat of the car. it was like when you ride in the back of station wagons as a kid and it's the coolest because you're looking backwards. there was no one to make funny faces at from the back of the barge, though. expect maybe seagulls.

me and my boy

piper playing dentist

ahoy! LAND! finally. what a pretty harbor...

SO many boats. and yachts.

this was our first beach day at nobadeer beach, which is on the surfside or south side of the island. so it had huge waves and it was almost empty when we'd arrive in the morning. it made us feel like we were at some private, exclusive island and had it all to ourselves. the airport is only a mile maybe from this beach so elias delighted in the hundreds of airplanes that took off overhead.

trucks and sand=all elias needs

piper literally spends almost the entire time we're at any beach climbing and crawling all over me. she finds great pleasure in being in my personal space. i find great pleasure in not having to share my personal space. this is not a good match...

a quick game of gotcha last. this time with no knives.

and of course, "frinsbee"

our first try at talking public transportation. yeah. 45 minutes later, the whole waiting with a 3 year old on a busy road made me about as anxious and annoyed as it gets. i will say that the buses are clean as a whistle and smell magnificent. are they fast or convenient? heck no.

but elias is adorable with his hat on backwards. i can't even take it.

out to dinner- piper makes sure everything makes it safely into her mouth.

while elias is busy looking cute

we made a habit of driving into town, finding a spot for the car, and meandering on brick sidewalks and cobblestone roads. even if we only had an hour or two, we enjoyed exploring the narrow windy back roads, looking in the shop windows (strollers + 3 year olds + expensive breakables = not a good idea to go in the stores), and enjoying the architecture of the homes and churches on the island.

elias and piper are kissaholics. they really love on each other, and it melts my heart.

note how ENORMOUS that tree. HUGE.

this is the library on nantucket. one of the many building with a grecian influence. we got ourselves a library card and rented movies took out new books for ourselves and the kids. we don't mess around. we love the library.

this was someones backyard. and i liked it.

dave and i joked about nantucket because there are typically these indicators (or pre-requisites?) for what is quintessentially nantucket, if you will. for example, you must have a yellow lab or a golden retriever, you must wear nantucket reds or maybe madras, and you most definitely grow roses on one of these delightful garden arbors:

we took the kids to a little aquarium (loosely termed) and it was a pretty expensive way to spend 20 minutes. ahh well. it's vacation, right?

a look in the tank

lots of crabs, of course

a jellyfish (i know. you were thinking- "man, what IS that?")

the coolest fish ever. talk about intelligent design!

me and elias, aka the blondies

this is children's beach, aptly named because it's a quiet little beach in the bay outfitted with a playground, snack bar, and green grassy field. all a kid needs, really.

my spunky little love. "ohh, mom, no more pictures, can't you see i hate them!"

elias teaching alicia to swim. cutest.

i love how he holds her by the neck. so primal, e.

there was this little hole in the wall convenience store at the end of our road (we stayed on lovers lane- how cute is that?!) that had soft serve ice cream. i am a sucker for soft serve, and davey indulged me (and elias) on more than one occasion. here we are curbside, enjoying our ice cream...

strike that- elias is enjoying my ice cream. greedy punk :)

tomorrow is part two of my photo journal and a nantucket wrap-up. soon to follow, some highlights, including the new books, movies, and music, that made my vacation.

can't wait :)