On one of my recent sojourns to “the city” this summer I met a friend in a local Brooklyn grocery. Having gone to the bungalow colony all my life I know which of my friends are country people and which are city folks and I was fairly certain that Zehava* was supposed to be in the country this summer. Since she doesn’t work in the city what is she doing here? What happened to her bungalow?

“My bungalow?” Zehava said with a wry smile. “I wouldn’t call it my bungalow anymore. The kids are using it this summer. That’s why I’m here.”

Zehava’s children are all married and apparently are exercising squatting rights in her unit. While this seemed kind of shocking to me Zehava for her part was actually quite comfortable with the idea. “The peace and quiet is wonderful ” she said. “I get to spend more quality time with my husband. And I don’t have to cook and clean for a house full of children and grandchildren.” According to Zehava it was the perfect solution to the issue of multiple generations all converging on one bungalow every summer.

Welcome to the new world — a world where several families all share a summer residence and live to talk about it. 

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