Every summer when I was growing up, my mom and I spent a week visiting her family in Ohio. My aunt and uncle have a lake house, so we always set aside a few days there and made some of my favorite childhood memories. Even though I’m the first to admit I’m pretty “indoors-y,” I loved those trips. For eleven years I’d been talking about getting Jeff out there, and this year we finally made it happen. We also got to introduce Arlo to the whole experience.
Our days were full: long hours on the boat, jet-skiing, tubing, playing cornhole, competitive rounds of Catch Phrase, and riding the golf cart again and again. We ate my aunt’s famous monkey bread and enjoyed slow summer afternoons. There were a few funny moments — like when Jeff drove the golf cart like it was a race car and I swore he was going to kill me, and when we found a suspiciously large number of spiders near our feet — but those are the things that make trips memorable. Arlo was thrilled by it all; it’s such a special feeling to share a childhood tradition with your own child. Here are a few photos from our trip.
One afternoon we stopped at a bakery for lunch and discovered the best pretzel bread sandwiches. They were incredible. The bakery also had horses nearby, which made Arlo’s day — he was basically in heaven. That’s him with my dad in one of the photos.
Though this picture doesn’t make it obvious, I promise Arlo really enjoyed the jet ski.
We also got to take Arlo to his very first Fourth of July parade. I love small-town parades — the flags, the floats, the simple joy — and he loved it too.
Photos by Jeff Mindell
Arlo’s Blush Water Shoes | Arlo’s Bathing Suit | Arlo’s Plaid Shorts
Arlo turned out to be braver than I ever was at his age. He rode the jet ski and went tubing without a second thought, while I still get nervous on both. Luckily, my uncle promised he wouldn’t flip us this time.
Do you have a recurring summer tradition from childhood? It’s wonderful to visit new places, but there’s something comforting about returning to the same spot year after year.
P.S. A few readers mentioned concern about the style of life jacket Arlo wore in some photos — the inflatable pillow-style. Thank you for the heads-up. We switched him to a different jacket for the second day on the water, but some images still show the original one, so I wanted to mention that.