March 29, 2017
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Tom's father got a small beach cottage on Drake's Island before Tom was even born; on the family photo wall in the living room, there's a framed portrait of his mother pregnant with him, on the beach. "I've been coming here longer than my whole life!" he laughs. His dad planted a sapling in the backyard when Tom and his siblings were young; it now provides welcome shade during the hot summer months for them and their families, who sit in the large Adirondack chairs and play in the grass — in the rare moments they're not at the beach just a block away.
They aren't planning on selling the place any time soon; it's a cherished retreat shared amongst family members, but they know it won't last forever. "And the boys right now are just the perfect age for it," Tom told me. "They love it here and we have so much fun together. I know this is how I'll want to remember it."
I drove up to Drake's Island one Saturday while Tom's family was there, hanging up towels and going to get ice cream, and I spent the whole day documenting the now-expanded cottage and all the rooms, games, and cherished heirlooms inside. When they got back from the beach, Tom mentioned the boys had made sand castles and gave me directions to where I could find them; by the time I returned, everyone was falling asleep on the couch while Mary Poppins played in the VCR. It felt like the perfect childhood day to capture.
