Harbour Island Traditions: Part One
When you’ve been vacationing in the same place for thirty years, you develop a lot of traditions. It seems like year after year, we end up doing the same things…eating the same meals…wearing the same clothes…drinking the same drinks…
You get the idea. Here are just a few of our Harbour Island traditions:
Goombay Smash upon arrival:
I can’t share the recipe with you—it’s a family secret. But I can tell you that it has lots of alcohol. Light rum. Dark rum. Coconut rum. Brandy.
Oh, and a splash of juice. Just to keep things classy.
Conch fritters are also a first night tradition:
Dipped in a classy mayo/ketchup sauce. You can’t beat that.
And speaking of classy:
…we keep it pretty casual around here. Pants are always optional. And so are shirts. And underwear.
That’s not to say that we can’t get fancy every once in a while too, of course:
Hanging out with family is the name of the game:
…and speaking of games:
Backgammon is our game of choice. Five dollars a game. But nobody ever seems to pay up.
But it’s not all fun and games:
We have to get work done too. Like hanging laundry. And making pies:
Yep. I made another one. Lemon cheese pie. Kind of like a cheesecake…but ridiculously easy. In fact, most of our meals here are ridiculously easy. Toast for breakfast:
Cheese toast for lunch:
And whatever gets served along with the goombays for dinner.
Of course, for all of the Harbour Island traditions we love, occasionally you have to break with tradition and do something unprecedented:
Like watch TV. The TV here stays locked in a closet (I’m not kidding). My grandparents bought one years ago to watch one of the elections when they were down here in November, but other than that, it’s never been used…until Monday night.
Oh, Ashley. I wish I could quit you.
Thanks for letting me share some of our favorite vacation traditions! Do you have vacation traditions of your own?
You know, I was doing such a good job of keeping my jealously in check. Then, I saw the first two pictures here, remembered the taste of both items, and really began to dislike you.
We need to do a wedding reunion trip!! You, Jodi and Will are welcome down here any time
So much fun! I guess Jason and I don’t really have any vacation traditions other than just relaxing. That’s a good tradition right???
DEFINITELY!
This post is filled with cuteness overload!! Sophie is sooo cute
I’ve officially fallen in love with your family. Everyone always looks so relaxed and contented with life. Love it!
My fam doesnt really take vacations but P’s does a yearly sarasota beach house shmorgasboard which totally reminds me of your fam’s tradition! =) love it! Paul is gonna miss it this year but I may go without him! lol
The lemon cheese pie has me drooling! I want that for breakfast!
(and pants optional? bahaha! well it is a vacation!)
Our family vacation drink is usually mojitos, but I could get used to a Goombay Smash, it looks amazing! The backdrop helps
I could get behind an Anna-Ryan and Emo-Jon vacation tradition.
My family hasn’t taken an vacation in so long — sad! But it used to be stopping at Rose’s Farms on the way to Kiawah to get fresh-from-the farm veggies for a week at the beach. (After a stop at the Pig, of course.)
I hope you are having fun in the sun!
Yes! We are 100% behind that tradition too!!
my lord could that child be any more photogenic?!?
Oh man I LOVE conch fritters! So jealous
I remember enjoying everyone of these traditions on our “wedding” trip to Harbor Island. Enjoy
Can we switch lives? Please? I’m looking for a cute niece and an awesome beach home! My family’s vacation tradition when we’re at our cabin in Maine is cocktail hour on the dock with margaritas and tortilla chips and salsa!
Those photos of your mom & neice are super cute!! We don’t have a place where we go to year after year, so we don’t have any real traditions. I guess the things we always do on vacation is to get photos of our toes overlooking the ocean and getting an ice cold fruity drink as soon as we walk into our hotel to toast our vacation and get off on the right foot!
Pfft, what a tease on the Goombay Smash!
Cute post, but I don’t have any vacation traditions currently, I need to take more to have some! 
Lemon cheese pie!??
And
“But I can tell you that it has lots of alcohol. Light rum. Dark rum. Coconut rum. Brandy. ”
I need to invite myself onto your vacays!
Gah, she is so adorable. I absolutely love her eyes!!
My tradition is that I always find a thrift store wherever I visit, I cant get enough of them!
The drink sounds perfect and I need one NOW! When on vacation, clothes are always optional! I think Sophie has the right idea! Enjoy your family Anna!
Sophie in that hat?! I was pretty sure I didn’t have a biological clock, but my overies just screamed “cutest baby ever.”
She’ll do that to you…it’s dangerous
Looks like so much fun! And that Sophie is too much…she is gonna be such a little heartbreaker when she grows up!
haha, I LOVE that the Bachelorette has become a tradition for you!! Too funny!!
Also, pants optional is absolutely the best way to go! Love that tiny baby girl, she’s rocking it.
Oh my gosh that little sweetheart! She’s so beautiful (and photogenic!). This looks like such a perfect family vacation – I’m so jealous! Luckily I’m headed off this weekend to see my cutie pie nieces – can’t wait!
My family rarely goes on vacation because of time and financial issues…Our “vacation” is most likely a walk around the park and then dinner out. I guess that’s our tradition…I quite like it though!
Seriously sweet post. It’s the kind of post that tugs at the Grinch’s heart strings.
Darn it you always make me jealous with your vacation pictures! I’m especially jealous of the sweet pea wearing the hat and diaper. How cute!
And as for vacation traditions… we always do one night of “Iron Chef” at the cabin every summer, where we divide our family into teams and each team competes for preparing the best meal. It’s super dorky and super fun!
That sounds like so much fun!!
what a gorgeous little girl!