Labor Day, Looking Back

That photo was taken in about 1967. That's me in the green dress (age 15) and my parents standing behind me. My grandparents on the right side, and my siblings, and cousins, and aunts/uncles from my Dad's side of the family. He is the oldest of 4 boys, and my Grandfather (who I mentioned in a previous post) was a well known, well loved family doctor in West Seattle. Their house was on the beach in West Seattle on the south side of the Coleman ferry dock, so the opposite side of Lincoln Park (for those of you who know the area). For as long back as I can remember every labor day (as well as Memorial day and most 4th of July's) we would spend "at the beach". I remember LOVING to go there as a kid, dreading it as a young teen, tolerating it as an older teen and finally appreciating it as an adult. It is a very cool spot, you have to traverse down a beautifully landscaped hillside to get down to the house and the beach. There was an "easy" path down and a "hard" path down. As kids we were not allowed to go on the hard path until we were at least 10!!! My grandpa and the "boys" put those steps in down that hill and my grandma did the landscaping. My first experience of picking huckleberries was on that hill. The beach was so awesome. A beach where there were logs and "walking the logs" all the way around the point is a wonderful memory. Also rowing, rowing, rowing the boat out on the sound. Watching the ferries come and go. Having hot dogs, hamburgers EVERY time. Actually we did the bury the salmon in the ground thing a few times . Digging in the sand. Throwing, skipping rocks. After having grown up on those holidays at that house, my boys too spent their first 10-12 years going to "the beach" for Memorial Day and Labor Day. My Grandparents ended up building a house up on top of the hill, and living their elder years up there. The photo was taken on that patio. My Uncle Dan and Aunt Mary and their 5 kids moved into the house on the beach. Aunt Mary still lives there, Uncle Dan died several years ago. It is sad that the extended family has fallen away from those traditions. My kids and grandkids now have nothing they traditionally do for these summer holidays. I'm thinking I need to do something to change that next year.
Hope you all had a peaceful weekend.