Cottage Living - Packing and Unpacking + Pretty Photos

Whenever I thought about life with a beach house, I always assumed we would simply have household items specifically for the beach house.  This is somewhat true, but without a washing machine (or a dryer), reality is a bit different from what I thought it would be.  (Side note - we could add a washer/dryer and may do so in the future.)  The cottage is stocked with basic toiletries - toothpaste, dental floss, contact solution and a case, soap, shampoo, etc.  I don't leave very many clothing items down there because I don't have a large summer wardrobe.  The girls tend to leave a few outfits and clean items that would be a hassle to replace if forgotten - underwear and bathing suits.  We each have a pair of flip flops at the cottage for the summer.

Here's a look at what we pack to bring to the cottage and what comes home with us.

To bring to the cottage

• Beach towels
• Bath towels, face cloths, hand towels
• Dish towels for the kitchen
• Clean sheets 
• Food - we do grocery shop when we are on the Cape but if we've shopped here and the food will go bad before we return home, we bring it with us.  Mostly items such as bread, deli meats, fruit, cheese.  If the items are perishable, I'll pack them in a medium sized cooler with ice packs.
• Hair dryer - I should just get one to keep down there.
• Chargers for electronics
• Running shoes
• Clothes - the girls are responsible for their own.
• Kindles and/or books
• Barbies and accessories

For the return trip home

• Dirty laundry and towels.  I don't lug the sheets back and forth each time because if a bed has been slept in for three nights and you took a shower when you returned from the beach, the sheets aren't dirty.
• Food - same theory as above.
• The last six items listed above.
• Trash - if we wanted to leave our trash there, we would have to pay for a private trash collection service, or purchase a (somewhat pricey) sticker for our car allowing us access to the dump, or pay $5 a bag to leave the trash at the dump.  We don't generate that much trash so it's been the easiest (and least expensive route) just to toss it into the back of the van.
• Recyclables and cans - I bought two of those crates advertised for dorm rooms at Target and we use one for recyclables and one for cans (5 cent deposit on cans in Mass.)  We can drop off items to be recycled free of charge on the Cape but thus far, it's been easiest just to bring it home with us and throw it in our recycling bin here. 

I wanted to share these photos from Paines Creek in Brewster, which is a spot for sunset chasing.  We, unfortunately, visited a little bit too early in the evening to view the sun setting, but the views were pretty nevertheless.