Vitamin Sea

The Morrisons had another great vacation last week! We went to a different beach this time, and it was super dog-friendly. Amber was a huge fan of her first trip to the beach. Can't you tell?

Dog are allowed to run off-leash on the beach every morning and evening, so we started and ended each day with a family walk. We encountered crabs, jellyfish (fortunately the non-stinging kind), horseshoe crabs, and even a shark! No really, an actual shark, about 3 feet long: a beach fisherman had caught it and allowed us to take a closer look, as it thrashed around like crazy, before he released it back into the surf.

Jellyfish stings weren't an issue this year ... because our kids would only go up to their ankles in the water. I went in a few times, hoping to tempt them to jump in the waves with me, but I had no luck. Instead, our trio spent their time playing in the sand. And to be fair, they came up with some pretty cool sand creations, including this huge sand city that took them about 3 hours.

The weather was iffy but deceiving -- one day when it was cloudy and actually sprinkling, the kids got their first sunburns. I suppose I should be happy that they made it to the ripe old ages of 8 and 10 before getting burned, but now our streak has ended. Sweet Pea's nose is still peeling, and I think Little Man will have a farmer's tan for the next year.

One morning I got up early to watch the sun rise (my beach tradition), and when I returned to the condo, the kids complained that I hadn't taken them. So the next morning I roused them all at 5:50 am, and they happily headed down to the beach with me. I was thrilled they wanted to share the experience, and also because the second morning, the sunrise was much more beautiful! 

Although things are starting to open back up from the pandemic closures, we still didn't do anything other than the beach, the pool, and one outdoor restaurant. We didn't even ride bikes at all, because there weren't bike paths everywhere. It was a nice, quiet, restful week. The pool complex was awesome, and we loved how dog-friendly it was. But ultimately the kids prefer the bike trails, activities, restaurants, and sand at our "normal" beach, and want to return there next time!