Six Happy Clammers: Indian Rocks Beach Ahoy!

There are just some places in this world that are meant to be shared. Last year, I wrote our Christmas letter from such a place. This year, we made it a New Year's trip, ringing in 2009 with family and friends who might as well be family! I took the kids to their very favorite place on Earth, Indian Rocks Beach. It's a place they speak of weekly, if not daily, since our last visit. Our visit was at no expense to us, courtesy of our good friends, The Holloways. The beach house is known as the Zubrod-Holloway house, and since it was built in 1891, it is the oldest standing residence in Indian Rocks Beach. Mrs. Bette (Zubrod) Holloway lived there as a child with her siblings, their childhood handprints still in the sidewalk poured in 1943. Her father lived there from the early 20's until he passed away, maybe five or six years ago. Mrs. Holloway and Shawn's childhood friend, her son Mike, bought the house from Bette's siblings, redid the interior extensively, and rent it to lucky folks looking for a relaxing vacation. They have extremely high taxes so they are not likely to ever be out of the red in that department, but they can protect it from what has become of most of the other historic residences in the areas--condos. It isn't a fancy house, nor is it the most beautiful, but it is monumental in its own right. Childhood memories, both past and present, are being made there. The children who visit mark their height on the door in the bedroom, never to be erased. My children alone have grown over a foot collectively. And their appreciation for the little house on the beach, and mine, grows infinitely with each wonderful visit. As Katy said this past week, "Wow, Momma, it must have been magical to live here!" Thanks to the Holloways, we had our own little bit of magic.

In the back of the Zubrod-Holloway house (the front faces the beach of course!)
Clockwise from top: Karen Howard, Anne Stephenson, Shawn, Madison, Sarah, Isabelle, William, Katy, and Savannah Howard.

We were lucky enough to have Shawn's sister Anne and our niece Madison along for five days or so. Then we were doubly blessed to have Karen and Savannah Howard, our great friends here in Cedar Key, join us for the last four days! We had a full house, a great dinner out at Crabby Bill's, and plenty of children! It was a wonderful vacation!