Trip Report

You know, most triathlete blogs offer up a race report with some regularity. At house 'o TriDi, since there is no racing going on this year, you get a Trip Report instead.


Every summer, we are lucky enough to go to the Hamptons with my college roommate Jill and her family. They live in Manhattan and have a second home there. I think the key to our inclusion is that our kids are the same age as their older kids. And I'll take it!


This year, I had school the weekend we were leaving. It was the first weekend back for the third module of the program. I was excited to see everyone again after our July break but I'm very nervous about this module - it is the most unfamiliar to me and will be the most difficult. Therefore, it is the one I need the most! On Friday, we found out where we're going for our class trip. I'd heard a lot of talk about Africa, Quatar, and Egypt so I was fully prepared to go somewhere that would be a good educational trip but maybe not the funnest location. I was delirious then when I found out we are going to Italy!!!! Interestingly, we had planned a trip to Italy with Jill and Andy for the summer of 2000 - almost exactly the week that I delivered little baby Taz. So I was even more excited to head to NY and convince them to meet us in Italy after my class trip!


We left late Saturday afternoon and spent the night at Scouter's parent's house in Northern Virginia. That drive to NoVa was the worst part of the whole trip! Traffic on 95 is a nightmare. We left their house at 5 a.m. on Sunday - Scouter's plan so that the kids and I sleep for a few hours and the trip is less excruciating for all involved. So we arrived at their house before lunch. Scouter and I hadn't even gotten out of the car by the time Taz and Rainbow were already in the basement playing Wii with their buddies!


The first thing Jill and I did was cut up fruit to ferment for Blackbirds, all the while discussing the cocktails we were going to have that week. She had a new pear martini recipe that sounded intriguing. Andy teased us unmercifully, all the while uncorking a bottle of wine to have with lunch.


Yes, that's the kind of vacation we enjoy!


We spent the day lounging by their pool and I have to admit to napping just a bit in the afternoon. Before long, it was happy hour time (or tini time as we like to call it). We started off with a tried and true lemon/citrus martini - whatever the correct name for it is. Eventually we grilled steaks with tomato casserole and broccoli, because we forgot to bring the corn we'd bought.


I should probably warn you now that Jill's and my favorite way to while away the morning is by looking at recipes and planning dinner. We both like to cook almost as much as we like to eat.


Monday, the guys took the kids to the beach while Jill and I hung out at her house. I forced myself to go for a four mile run, mainly because I have a route I really enjoy up there and wanted to see all the gorgeous homes. Then I pretended like I was going to do homework but really I just carried a book around with me as I moved the angle of my lounge chair to maximize the sun. There really is no point given that I wear 45 block but I suppose it's force of habit. We ran some errands including a trip to the grocery for that night's dinner materials and while we were out, we heard there was a tornado watch on Long Island. We called the boys, who didn't believe us but came home anyway. By 3:00, it was pouring rain. We never did experience the golf ball size hail that some counties experienced. Instead, we sat under their covered deck, drank Blackbird martinis, and played Taboo. When the rain subsided, we grilled chicken for my absolute favorite Cobb salad. It's a Bobby Flay recipe and it is amazing - I request it every year.


Tuesday, the boys took the kids to the beach again. Then I gave up all pretense of doing homework and lounged by the pool reading one of Jill's novels, In The Woods, instead. It was quite good. We got a little crazy at tini time and exceeded our two martini limit, which was learned the hard way in previous years. I guess we are like children and needed to test our boundaries! We had a fantastic dinner of lobster, orzo and corn, pear and goat cheese salad along with lots of wine. After we put the kids to bed, we played Wii karaoke. Jill and I sang "YMCA" and each of the guys sang a song and we recorded them. We even made our own Mii characters. It was hilarious! When we played them back to the kids the next day, we were all laughing hysterically while they were looking at us like we were nuts. We actually scared Jill's younger children.


Wednesday we ventured to the beach with the whole crew - the two guys and all six kids. The ocean was freezing and New Yorkers have no sense of personal space, but the weather was beautiful and it was nice to see the beach this summer. Scouter had his celebrity sighting coup of all time with Sienna Miller in a white string bikini. That night after tini time, we grilled pork chops and peaches with an amazing sauce. I can't even remember what we had with it but rest assured plenty of planning went into the whole meal. We were a little lower key that evening and did something crazy like watch the Olympics. This might be the night that the four of us spent a lot of time searching the Internet for villas in Italy and discussing options for where to stay. We're deciding between Tuscany and Portafina. Ah, decisions decisions!


Thursday the boys took the kids bowling and back to the beach. I want to say this is the morning I ventured out for my second run. I know I was evilly hung over and figured I was going to be miserable no matter what so I might as well run. It did make me feel better, once it was finally over. Then Jill and I went out to lunch and to the spa. I had a facial and Jill had a massage. Afterwards we were in veg mode and opted to go out to dinner. Jill's mom came to help her nanny watch the kids so we could go. I have to say that the restaurants we'd been to previously were over priced and frankly kind of average. This one however was amazing! It was called Almondcello. I think that's how it's spelled. I had a tomato, basil and mozzarella salad to start and a fabulous scallop dish as my main course. Scouter and I split a warm chocolate hazelnut torte for dessert and I swear it was the best thing I've ever eaten. We shared tastes and all dishes were equally delicious. When we got back, Jill's mom raved about how good our kids are and I said a silent prayer that they tend to behave better for other people. And they were all asleep - bonus! I think she bribed them with dollars to go to bed and not talk. Seriously. That's the kind of crap you can pull when you're the grandma. My kids have adopted her and pop-pop (whom they call Popsicle) as their third set of grandparents.


Friday the guys golfed in the morning while we hung with the kids at the house. When the guys got back, they were wiped so we hung at the pool all day. Even the kids were happy at the pool after so much beach time. I made shrimp and grits for dinner because I thought it was very funny to introduce my northern friends to a southern recipe. I'm not sure they enjoyed it but Scouter did.


Saturday the boys snuck in another golf game. I knew nothing about their plans until Scouter woke me up when it was still dark outside to tell me he was leaving. Jill said Andy did the same thing. Then they took the older kids to a friend's pool and my poor little Taz got stung on his head by hornets. Jill's nanny, who is from Georgia (the former USSR Georgia, not ours) treated the bites with vodka. I have to admit I was hesitant but it seemed to work. Popsicle brought us ribs for lunch and we made the orzo with corn again to see if it was as good sober as we thought it was earlier in the week. We had steak for dinner in celebration of Scouter's upcoming birthday, which we do every year, with blueberry pie for dessert. I don't remember what else we had. I think the alcohol had seeped into every pore of my body by then and my brain was mush. We were reasonable well behaved Saturday night, mainly because we had to pack. We left early the next morning to head back to Richmond after another great week in the Hamptons.

Ah, good times. When we got home, I had to ask the kids and Scouter how their vacations were because we all had our individual experiences with our friends.

I can't wait until next year!
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