Beach House Diaries: A Shore Thing

Each week writer Susan MacCallum-Whitcomb will report on summer beach house life from her vacation home on Pictou Island, Nova Scotia. Follow along for a glimpse of the shore, plus tips on what to pack, how to entertain guests and how to relax at your own beach house.

Say "beach house" and a mental Instagram -- all warm tones and soft corners -- pops into most minds. Imbued with nostalgia, the phrase conjures up an appealingly retro brand of relaxation. Yet choosing to retreat to one can also resolve a decidedly modern dilemma -- or at least it did in my case.