In Our Blood

How many of you like going to the beach…

Our family has been going to the shore since 1956
I think our love for the beach…
Is in our blood

Growing up…
Our family would rent a house down the shore
For the month of August
Each weekend all the aunts…uncles and cousins
Would show up at the house and…
To see us all head for the beach
Probably looked like an invasion…

Here comes the Hutchinsons…

Umbrellas…chairs…blankets…kids…shovels and balls

Did I say kids….
There were 28 grandchildren
We stormed the beaches and…
Took over
There were Hutchinsons everywhere…

As we grew older and started having our own families
The tradition continued…
My Pop and Mom built a house
Designed to hold 6 children… their spouses
Plus 18 grandchildren

The people down the street once referred to our house as…
The orphanage
There was always so many kids running around

People often say…
History repeats itself

Just like when we were growing up
Every weekend…
All the siblings would head to the shore…

More…
Umbrellas…chairs…blankets…shovels and balls

As our children started to get older
We were fortunate enough…
To buy our own shore house

Our children were able to live my dream…
Spending the whole summer at the shore

It is our love for the shore
That sparked me to write my first book…

Beach Etiquette
https://beachetiquettebook.com/

Our beautiful beaches hold memories
For generations of vacationers and locals alike…

This book is a tribute to all who share the beaches…

With a little Beach Etiquette
We will preserve its’ beauty
And pay it forward…

Our book is available on Amazon
And makes a great gift to anyone who love the beach
https://beachetiquettebook.com/

Speaking about paying it forward
As I said earlier…
The Beach is in our families’ blood…

Our son Brenton has recently developed…

The World’s Most Eco-Friendly Beach Chair

He is another ocean child
Looking to aid the environment…

Introducing Low Tides Ocean Products
https://lowtidesop.com/

Each Lowtides chair is made with…
2.5 pounds of upcycled
Ocean bound plastics

With over 8 million tons of plastic flowing into our oceans each year,
Stopping the flow of waste into our oceans and upcycling the plastic
Can be the solution to cleaner tides.

Lowtides has just began a kickstarter campaign
To introduce their chairs to the general public

As part of their kickstarter campaign…

Lowtides is currently offering special pricing options
With up to 30-40% off

Their chairs are designed to be…
Durable…stylish…and ecofriendly

They are also making a children’s chair

We invite you to learn more about Lowtides Ocean Products

https://lowtidesop.com/

With your purchase and support…

You will help begin to…
Turn the tide on ocean pollution
Preserve its’ beauty
And pay it forward…

Going to the shore and hanging at the beach
Has always held a special place in my heart
Heading over the bridge
Smelling the salt air
Has always been special

You can sense a transformation…

The ocean calls us to be one
Allowing us to create memories
That will live on and be shared for a lifetime

Every Day is a Gift…

On The Lamb

I would consider myself

To be a morning person

Although I admit

I need that first cup of coffee

To help bring everything into focus

Last week

I was going thru my morning ritual…

Pour my coffee

Turn on Morning Joe

And slowly bring the day into focus

I was sitting in our den

I glanced out the picture window

All of a sudden I saw something white

Out of the corner of my eye

What is that….

I stood up

Walked over to the window

Is that a goat in our backyard….

The goat walked down thru my backyard

Stopped at the sliding board

Sniffed around

Then moseyed off into the woods

I went upstairs and woke my wife

Janet

There was a goat in our backyard this morning

You’re crazy

This is Haddonfield

You must be seeing thing

I’m telling you I saw a goat in our backyard

George….

We’ve got a cat that hangs around our house

We’ve got geese…deer…raccoons…squirrels…foxes

Almost every animal on the planet

Now you are telling me there is a goat…..

The next day

I get up

Pour a cup of coffee

Turn on Morning Joe

And there it comes…

Walking up my backyard

Right past our house

Where did this goat come from…

I go upstairs to wake up Janet

He’sssssss Backkkkkkk

What’s back

The goat

You’re telling me you saw the goat again this morning

Walked right past our den window

I don’t know how it got here

You’re crazy

There can’t be a goat walking around

I am at work later that morning

And I get an alert on my phone

Lamb is on the lamb in Haddonfield

It wasn’t a goat

But a Lamb

That had been sheared

It apparently had escaped

From the owner’s pen in Cherry Hill

And had been wondering

Thru the woods

For the past couple of days

Look Janet

Here’s an article

About the goat…

I mean….

It’s really a lamb

It was sheared

So I did not know what the heck it was

It even has a picture of it in the paper

The story gets even better…..

Friday morning I receive a call from my son

Who was staying overnight from Union City

Hey Dad…

You’re not growing anything illegal

In our backyard are ya

Grant….

What the heck are you talking about…

I woke up this morning

And there were 3 cops

Walking around our backyard

I go outside

And ask them if I could help them

They are telling me they are looking for a lamb

That was loose in the area

They asked if I had seen it

I said…

This is my parents’ house

I am just here staying overnight

I don’t know anything about a lamb

Dad….

Is there really a lamb

Walking around our neighborhood

It eluded capture for a couple more days

And was finally rounded up last weekend

Lucky Day

Have you ever found a 4 leaf clover….

I found one years ago

When I was younger

I had a lawn service as a kid

Cut a lot of grass

Looking for 4 leaf clovers

Became a mini hobby

Over the years

I continued looking to find my…..

2nd 4 leaf clover….

But, to no avail

To pacify me

My wife actually bought me

A framed 4 leaf clover

This kept the spark alive

It sits on my bureau

But I find

I am always looking

About a month ago

I was walking my grandson to school

As we were chatting

I was noticing how green the lawns were

In the neighborhood

With all the rain we had been having

Everyone’s lawn was in full bloom

I also noticed…..

There are a lot of clovers

All over these lawns

My 1st thought…..

There has to be a 4 leaf clover

Somewhere in the mix

After I dropped G5 off at school

I found myself

Stopping to look

At some of the lawns

On my way home

Did you ever find yourself looking for a 4 leaf clover….

There are hundreds of clovers

Growing in bunches

All over a lawn

You are counting the leaves

Of every clover you see

1,2,3

1,2,3

Staring intently

You can actually become dizzy, after awhile

Just waiting for the 4th leaf

To jump out at you

To my dismay

I did not find a 4 leaf clover

That day

As I got back to my house

I just had this hunch….

This was going to be my year

I was going to find my 2nd 4 leaf clover

Fast forward to Sunday

3 days later

We had a bocce game in Clermont, NJ

(I play for the Gunnslingers

The team is made up of all my college housemates)

It was a beautiful day

I am walking to the car at the end of the day

Speaking with one of my teammates

As we parted to walk to our own cars

I stopped to yell something to him

As he was walking away

For some reason

I happened to glance down at me feet

Is that a 4 leaf clover….

1…2…3…4

It looks like a 4 leaf clover

I can’t believe it…..

1…2…3…4 leaves

It was just sitting there waiting for me

It has my name on it

Yo Hutch, Did you say something….

I just found a 4 leaf clover

See you in 2 weeks…

It may not mean much to some people

But at that moment

I felt I had struck gold

Will it bring good luck…

I will not speculate

When I least expected it…

There it was

Right in front of me

It was my Lucky Day

Hey Janet….

I found a 4 leaf clover

While I was leaving bocce

What do I have to do to preserve it….

It’s a keeper

Happy Earth Day

I can remember back on 1970

 

When they first proposed the idea of

 

Earth Day

 

 

Many thought…

 

 

Those damn hippies

 

 

Now they want

 

Their own day of recognition

 

 

Ever wondered how Earth Day started?

 

 

This observance arose from an interest

 

In gathering national support

 

For environmental issues.

 

 

Here it is 2016

 

There are still issues

 

That must be address

 

 

 

 

God blessed us with this gift

 

Called Earth

 

 

He made it our responsibility

 

To care for it

 

To share these fruits with others

 

 

This responsibility

 

Should not be taken lightly

 

 

We are only here for a short time

 

 

Everything we do

 

Should be mindful of this gift

 

 

Handle it with care

 

For it is a….

 

Present