Ebb Tide

On April 29, Reeves had his second boat ride. (I swear this is it for counting. We are not keeping track of how many boat rides he has! But for now, it's only two!) Anyway, we went to Rockville for dinner with the Townsends and Willises. Luckily, we got down there with just enough time to jump in the boat and ride past the club before the sun went down. It wasn't really that cold, but I didn't want the breeze to get in Reeves' ears, hence the arctic get up he's in. It was pretty funny because when I put him on the cooler seat, he had so many layers on that he couldn't move. Davis loved having him sit beside him.

That night we had london broil, hashbrown casserole, and salad for dinner. I only mention this for two reasons. One, it was delicious, and I should thank Boo again for having us. And two, because, as far as I can remember, this is the same meal we have had every time we have been to Ebb Tide. I hope this doesn't sound like a disparaging remark because it definitely isn't. I can't remember a time when the Townsends weren't a part of my life. Jodie and I grew up right across the street from each other and were best friends. Part of the person I am today is because of her, and vice versa. I can't even begin to count the number of nights I spent over at her house and she at mine, the hours we spent playing in each other's yards and on the block. As such, I (and my sisters) were as much a part of her family as she (and her brothers) were a part of mine. So much so that, Boo would even made me sit at her dining room table until I finished my green beans. It was like having two families. And it was great. We don't get to see Boo and Jimmy so much now. All our lives are so busy, J and V live in Port Royal. It's just hard to get together as much as we should. But having that dinner at Ebb Tide takes me back everytime to being a kid. To weekends spent at Rockville - in the boat and at the beach all day, running through the azealas, building a tree house. And then stumbling in around sunset, exhausted and sunburnt, taking the best shower ever, and sitting in the chairs at the counter (the same chairs that are still there), and being served a delicious dinner. Oh, it wasn't london broil and hashbrown casserole everytime, but it has been that in the past few years, and I love the consistency. It was weird, eating it this time, feeling like a kid again, but holding my own son in my lap, looking at my friend as she helps her own son with his dinner, already 7 months pregnant with her second. What a strange and wonderful thing.