Duxbury, MA is my favorite place on earth. It doesn’t matter that I’ve only spent a total of less than 20 days there. The days are long, the views are incredible, and the good times roll. 

When I was in college, my roommate Emily would talk about her summer home in Duxbury with such affection, but I didn’t get to experience the magic for myself until we’d graduated. She picked me up from the Boston airport at night and we arrived at the cottage in a downpour so I didn’t get my first view until the next morning. I remember walking out the front doors of the Crystal Cottage (the name of their sweet home on the bay) and my jaw hitting the ground while the view took my breath away- if that’s even possible. Crystal Cottage sits among a small community of homes called the Ridge. The Ridge is full of families that have been summering in Duxbury for generations. Literally. But the beautiful thing about this extended family is that once you visit, you’re considered family for life. My kind of people. 

One week on the Ridge and I was hooked. Walks on the mudflats at low tide; jumping off the bridge at high tide; kayak trips around the bay; boat trips to Magic Island in the morning and Lobster Hut in the evening; trips to French Memories for chocolate croissants; lazy afternoons reading and working puzzles on the porch; family style dinners in the yard… The list goes on and on and on. It’s a beautifully magical place. 

I was able to make the trip for two summers in a row and then last summer my efforts were all spent on preparing to get married. I missed the Ridge but I got to see Emily because she was a bridesmaid in our wedding. Later that fall, Emily’s mom went home to be with Jesus and we made the drive to Connecticut to be with her family. This summer I knew it was time to introduce Aaron to the magic, so when Emily’s family announced a service to honor Emily’s mom with their Ridge family, we went. 

 We got to experience Fourth of July on the Ridge and it was a joy. We loved capturing Emily and her boyfriend, Jason on the mudflats, morning trips to grab coffee and drink it in the marina, and most of all being welcomed with wide open arms to this special place. 

I hope you enjoy some of the magic through our photographs. Duxbury, we will be back. Soon. So don’t you worry.

cheers!

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