Summer’s been busy for the Louie’s, on both coasts. It had been a while since our last chat, so Corin had lots of new tricks to show me.

Playing ball (in the house)

Knee-slapping

Gnawing on the table

Reading with Daddy

Cracking up

Raspberries

Fresh off our successful kayaking adventure, the ladies of Camp Fern decided to try surfing. Our friend Lars at Main Beach & Surf were tasked with teaching us wanna-be surfers. The waves were really flat this day, which in some ways made it less intimidating for the three of us who had never done this before. Just call me Gidget!

Angela and Heather

Einat and Nicki

Paige and me

The waves from our local beach flow into Georgica Pond

Our surf lesson started with how to put on a wet suit.

Surfer girls Nicki, Paige, Heather and Einat

Surf’s up! (barely)

Look ma! I’m surfing!

I caught another wave!

Which quickly flattened out, so I stood on top of the water. (Lars is saying “What happened?”)

Einat surprised herself with how much fun she was having.

Angela was really good at this surfing thing.

One last wave for me

Surfing Ferners: Heather, Nicki, Paige, Einat, Angela and me

We did it!

Thanks again to Lars at Main Beach Surf & Sport for another fantastic adventure!

You might be wondering what our beloved Camp Fern actually looks like, so here are a few pics. As you can see, we had all the amenities six city girls could want in a summer beach house - a deck with a grill, a pool, an herb garden, and a gorgeous beach only a mile and a half away. In short, paradise!

Our last weekend in the Hamptons brought another new Ferner into the mix, and what better way to welcome our friend Angela than with one of our infamous family dinners. I arrived Friday morning and immediately started planning with the girls. Special requests were made, and a shopping list was created. On the menu: chicken shish kebabs, salmon, quinoa salad, and some sort of veggie salad I planned to make up from whatever I found at the farm stand. I love cooking for my friends!

Chef Jen in the kitchen

Kebabs on the grill - chicken marinated in a soy-lime sauce, skewered with onions and zucchini

Salmon marinated in the same soy-lime sauce

Quinoa salad with grilled eggplant, sauteed zucchini and yellow squash, red bell pepper and onion

Grilled corn salad, with cherry tomatoes, basil (from our herb garden), lime juice, salt and pepper

The kebabs

Dinner’s ready!

My kinda dinner!

Most of the Ferners are active and adventurous, which made us great housemates. Our nearby surf shop offers lessons and organized activities, such as surfing, paddle boarding and kayaking. One of the most intriguing ideas was moonlight kayaking on Sag Pond. Half of the girls had never tried kayaking, but everyone seemed game, so off we went. We paddled out to a beach, where they had set up a table with wine and cheese, and were preparing a bonfire for later in the evening. Everyone had an amazing time - we even got to try paddle boarding! Yet another amazing adventure in the Hamptons!

To fuel up for our journey, we had a mixed veggie salad, made with fresh ingredients from the farm stand.

On our way!

The girls

The nervous newbies

Experienced kayakers

Paige and I had some experience, so we opted for single kayaks. She made this look easy. It most certainly was not.

The others paired up for a friendly race

Heather and Nicki

Emily and Einat

Duck boxes

The water was like glass, except for the jumping fish.

The beach

We made it!

Our shadows have long legs.

Snacks and beverages

Lars gave us a lesson in paddle boarding

Brave Heather was the first to try it

Paddle boarding was a lot harder than it looks - it takes a bit to for your legs to stop shaking!

Turns out Einat is more adventurous and outdoorsy than she thought!

The Ferners - Emily, Paige, me, Nicki, Einat and Heather

Full moon

It was a night of firsts for Einat - kayaking, paddle boarding, and now making s’mores!

Emily and Heather are old pros in the art of toasting marshmallows.

Me too. Nothing like toasty marshmallows in the moonlight!

Bright full moon over the ocean, the sound of waves, and perfect weather.

Nicki strikes a pose in her glow stick headband. We had to wear these so we could be seen paddling back in the dark.

Thanks to Lars and the crew at Main Beach Surf & Sport for an amazing night! We’ll be back for more next year!