Growing up on Cape Cod, I thought I knew what made a beach. Soft, sugar-like sand. Warm crystal clear water. Sand dunes. Beach grass. Sea shells. Gentle breezes. It wasn’t until I met my husband and his family that I realized that the beach could be so much more:  history, tradition, family….Home.

I will never forget the first time I stepped on White Horse Beach in Plymouth. My feet won’t ever forget either. There were rocks, and lots of them. There was also water…COLD water. And there were people. Lots and lots of people. But these weren’t  just any people. They were ALL family. Sisters and brothers, aunties and uncles, nanas and papas, and cousins. Everyone was a cousin. 

The History of the Goodrich / Jacobs family on White Horse Beach, Plymouth, MA

The tradition of the Goodrich family spending the last 2 weeks of July together on White Horse Beach dates back to the 1940’s. A clan of post WWII young couples looking for an affordable and safe place to take their growing families on vacation and make memories. They found it. As their families grew and their lives took different paths,  WHB became a place for them to return and reconnect. Sharing stories of family milestones. Love stories and stories of struggles. Once a year, for 2 weeks or 2 days, whatever each family could swing, priceless memories were made. Sea glass hunting, jumping off White Horse rock, cribbage games, moving the circle with the tide, and on the last day, reading the White Horse legend and the March to the Sea. Clasping hands in a long line for as far as you can see and running into the ocean together one last time. A 70 year tradition and still going strong. That’s home.

New Adventures, Every Year

This year my family of 5 is preparing for our return to the beach. Our children have gone to WHB every year of their lives. My oldest daughter took her first steps in the living room of a cottage, surrounded by the encouraging arms of cousins. My younger daughter jumped off the big rock with the painted flag at the brave age of 8 (she still holds the record). My youngest was born DURING vacation one year, but we returned 3 days later to dunk his tiny little toes in the chilly WHB water and to pass him around the circle. We named him after his grandfather whose time on that beach ended far too soon.

The life lessons learned at WHB are endless. Looking adults in the eye when speaking to them, learning to win and lose from countless games of wiffle ball and pickle. Independence gained from walking to the General and spending your own money, sharing snacks and favorite toys with cousins, and mostly just growing up side by side with an extremely large extended family.

What I want her to remember…

As my children have grown older, so too have the vases of sea glass and jars of sand in our home; a constant reminder to us of our favorite days spent at our beach. This year, my oldest daughter is heading off to college. Following in the sandy footsteps of her grandmother and aunties who share her love of the beach, nursing school awaits her at the end of our visit to WHB this year. 

This is an exciting and proud moment for her, for us and for our family. She is growing up and leaving home to continue her story. I want something to remind her that she is who she is because of those days and nights on WHB. I want something to remind her of Home and Dune Jewelry is the perfect way to do that. 

  • Tara J.