Toes in the sand, warm all over, the sound of the waves, what isn’t there to love about the beach? Correct me if I am wrong, but you don’t often hear people wanting to take cold, arctic vacations do you?
On a whim, we decided to take advantage of the warm weather and head to our local sand and surf. We’re almost (sadly) halfway through the summer and we haven’t had nearly as many visits I would have liked. There is just something about enjoying the day at the beach that never gets old with me.
Our essentials:
- Sunscreen (our beach trip won’t even start without a SPF 60)
- Sunglasses
- Bathing suits
- Towels
- Hats
- Blanket
- Foldable chair
- Water bottles
- Buckets, shovels and other sandcastle/water toys
- Snacks
We learned the hard way that if you want to purchase any snacks, be sure to have cash on you. None of the on site vendors had debit (and I never seem to carry cash). And if there has been significant rain recently, be sure to check to see that there aren’t any water quality issues. Nothing worse than going to the beach and not being able to swim.
Within moments of unpacking and getting somewhat settled, my son was heading to the water. No matter how cold that water was, he was going in. Sounds good, but if it’s just the two of us, if he goes in I am going in too. This time luckily the water was quite enjoyable. We waded out to the sandbar where the water was a bit warmer too. I think he could have spent hours out there if I’d let him.
When I decided to head out of the water, he was more than happy to start creating his sandcastle masterpiece. Within a few moments, he had made acquaintances with a little boy from nearby and they had a blast with their creation.
And I could sit back and relax and just enjoy my surroundings. Aside from the photos I took, my phone was on silent and put away. Purely unplugged and enjoying the time together. My favorite part of the day was when I told my son it was time to reapply the sunscreen, he ran into the water to get himself wet and then rolled in the sand. That was his version of sunscreen.
The long, miserable Canadian winters have us taking every advantage of the few summer days we get to enjoy. At the end of the day, it was hard for either of us to drag ourselves away. It was only the promise that we would return the next possible day that made it better.
If you need to reach me this summer, you might just find me at the beach.
cathyunfiltered.com 