Weekend at the coast
We just got back from a short-notice weekend at the coast, and it was wonderful!
A few days ago we found out that my parents had been given a week in a condominium at the beach. Since it could easily accommodate 6 people and my mom and sisters wouldn't be able to go for the first few days, Dad invited us to join him there.
DH had a work conference all week and had to put in a lot of extra hours, so he got off work shortly after lunch on Friday and we took off.
It was a long drive, but we make a lot of long drives to visit family and the kids are used to it. DH and I enjoy the time to talk and interact, we sing a lot and listen to music and story CDs, and I like to crochet to while away the hours.
The rooms at the coast were beautiful. This was the view from our window:
The rooms and beds were very comfortable, and the company was exceptional. :)
It's great to have the type of relationship with family that we jumped at an opportunity to spend a weekend with my dad. We really enjoy both sides of the family. A few days at the coast relaxing with Grandpa was just what we needed.
The weekend consisted of relaxing, going out for a couple of meals, playing on the beach and in the pool, reading books, snacking and napping. It was heavenly.
The girls and I made a trip to the dollar store Thursday to get buckets and shovels, kites and a few other sand/wind toys. The shovels were a bit flimsy, but the buckets were perfect for scooping sand and water and storing rocks and shells.
The part of the beach we were on had very few rocks . . . just round pebbles mostly. The girls were a little scared of the waves, so the best feature was the puddles. The way the sand sloped, there was an area where little sandy tide pools were laced along the beach some way from the water. They ran and splashed in the puddles for hours.
Both girls learned to fly kites for the first time, and A especially enjoyed hers. Here she is running along the beach with it:
Grandpa taught the girls how to build drip castles and tiny trees by dripping wet sand in piles on the beach. I remember him showing me how to do that when I was a tiny kid. It's so much fun watching my kids experience things I remember from being that age--sort of like re-living childhood through fresh eyes.
We had such a good time. Thanks to my family for giving us the opportunity, and to Dad for sharing your weekend with us. We loved it.
Now I'm going to bed and will work on catching up on e-mail and comments over the next few days.
By the way, I just realized tonight that today is not Father's Day. We've been thinking it was Father's Day for the past few days and were telling Daddy and Grandpa "Happy Father's Day" all day long (and gave Grandpa his present this morning), so I guess we'll just have to celebrate it two weekends in a row!
A few days ago we found out that my parents had been given a week in a condominium at the beach. Since it could easily accommodate 6 people and my mom and sisters wouldn't be able to go for the first few days, Dad invited us to join him there.
DH had a work conference all week and had to put in a lot of extra hours, so he got off work shortly after lunch on Friday and we took off.
It was a long drive, but we make a lot of long drives to visit family and the kids are used to it. DH and I enjoy the time to talk and interact, we sing a lot and listen to music and story CDs, and I like to crochet to while away the hours.
The rooms at the coast were beautiful. This was the view from our window:
The rooms and beds were very comfortable, and the company was exceptional. :)
It's great to have the type of relationship with family that we jumped at an opportunity to spend a weekend with my dad. We really enjoy both sides of the family. A few days at the coast relaxing with Grandpa was just what we needed.
The weekend consisted of relaxing, going out for a couple of meals, playing on the beach and in the pool, reading books, snacking and napping. It was heavenly.
The girls and I made a trip to the dollar store Thursday to get buckets and shovels, kites and a few other sand/wind toys. The shovels were a bit flimsy, but the buckets were perfect for scooping sand and water and storing rocks and shells.
The part of the beach we were on had very few rocks . . . just round pebbles mostly. The girls were a little scared of the waves, so the best feature was the puddles. The way the sand sloped, there was an area where little sandy tide pools were laced along the beach some way from the water. They ran and splashed in the puddles for hours.
Both girls learned to fly kites for the first time, and A especially enjoyed hers. Here she is running along the beach with it:
Grandpa taught the girls how to build drip castles and tiny trees by dripping wet sand in piles on the beach. I remember him showing me how to do that when I was a tiny kid. It's so much fun watching my kids experience things I remember from being that age--sort of like re-living childhood through fresh eyes.
We had such a good time. Thanks to my family for giving us the opportunity, and to Dad for sharing your weekend with us. We loved it.
Now I'm going to bed and will work on catching up on e-mail and comments over the next few days.
By the way, I just realized tonight that today is not Father's Day. We've been thinking it was Father's Day for the past few days and were telling Daddy and Grandpa "Happy Father's Day" all day long (and gave Grandpa his present this morning), so I guess we'll just have to celebrate it two weekends in a row!
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 8:41 PM[Permanent link]
8 Comments:
What gorgeous pictures! Reminds me a lot of summers in Cape Cod.
See, this is what I need to see/read in order to gird myself for this year's trip to the beach. I need affirmation that such vacations are not all just sand covering the general body surface area, stress, and sleeping schedules torn assunder. Thanks so much for sharing these great photos!
Welcome to the blog, Jennifer!
Liz, I've never seen Cape Cod but I've heard it's beautiful.
Suzanne, when I was a kid it seemed like we were "on the go" a lot during vacations and didn't get to rest much. We'd almost come home needing a vacation to recover from our vacation.
The approach DH and I tend to take now (and my dad took this weekend too) is that vacations are for resting and relaxing, and if anything else happens that's a bonus. For us they're generally times for going to bed when we get tired, napping during the day, and being somewhat agenda-free.
We do less sight-seeing that way, but the vacations are a lot more restful.
Those photos are gorgeous, what a wonderful view from your bedroom window. If you don't mind me asking, where was it? there are a few beaches like those in Norfolk on the East coast of the UK, but without the wonderful blue sky that heads every photo! I'm glad you had a good time, relaxing vacations are the best! And isn't it great to relive your childhood?
take care
Rach
Hi, Rach. These photos were taken on the Oregon Coast . . . where there are seldom really blue skies except for a short time in the summer.
It actually rained the night before these photos were taken and was threatening to rain off and on during the day. "Liquid sunshine" is appreciated too, though! That's what makes the area so green and gives it so many rivers and waterfalls.
The piles of cumulus clouds make a gorgeous effect in the sky on most days.
I'm glad to hear that was a trip with your folks. I was starting to wonder how your DH lost all that hair in such short time. The picure you sent by e-mail made me suspect some Lino guy might be involved. :-)
Doug
Hi Angela,
What a beautiful day at the beach - it sounds like you had a wonderful trip... but where are their new sunglasses?! :-)
Take care, Colleen
Yes, Doug, that's grandpa in the pictures, not DH. :)
Colleen, we lost one pair of glasses in the car and one in the hotel room. Found them both on the way home again, though. Isn't that the way it goes? LOL
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