Kids, Canines, and…Kaboom!!

Throw a bunch of relatives of all ages together in a beat-up rental a block from the ocean; add a grill, a red wagon, some bikes, and a decent amount of good alcohol, and it’s family vacation, baby.

For several years, we’ve made this pilgrimage to the Maine coast for a week in July. We’ve tried several different beaches, all fine and fun, but none that are “our place” to come back to year after year.

Back in February, we barely had any spare time to research rentals within our budget. So, it was mostly luck that we landed here, on this laid-back beach that allows dogs, and fireworks! I mean, every and all incendiary imaginable. Since most beaches have bans on both, here, you end up with a lot of grateful, loyal, kind of crazy patrons.

On our very first night, we all sat along the sea wall (next to Lila the mellow chocolate lab’s family) for the local fireworks display. And, for everybody else’s flammable toy display, from sparklers, roman candles, and bonfires, to mini-fireworks displays (likely smuggled in from Canada). It was a wonderful beach party: happy noise and high excitement, ecstatic children, lots of room to move and breathe and sit, and a pleasantly relaxed, not rowdy crowd.

Our kids were a little baffled by the whole thing, but given how much they love dogs (there were dogs everywhere) and things like glow sticks and sparklers etc., they were game to stay and see what would happen. They were fine until the professional display got going. It was relatively close, just at the end of the beach (see photo below) and LOUD.

Babyboy begged to go back to the house, and so Hubby took him home. (Next year’s beach trip must-have: noise canceling headphones.) Babygirl covered her ears and whimpered some, but she wanted to stay and see. She’s asked for more fireworks every night since. (Babyboy keeps asking for a dog.)

Will this be the beach our family comes back to, year after year? Not sure yet, but we’d definitely like to come back for the Fourth of July beach party.