At a Completely Different Beach

Saturday I was grouchy. Really, incredibly grouchy. I didn't get to the projects I had wanted, the kids were making a huge mess, not listening to anything I said, fighting and driving me bananas. Rob took far longer at the junk yard that either of us expected, though by now I should know that a "quick trip to get this one thing" will be a six hour adventure. By the time I did get out I had only enough time to get groceries and look for something at Ikea (which I didn't find). I took Emmy, which tends to add to my "quick trip" by about two hours.

So, yesterday, through a wild comedy of errors, we ended up at the beach with our bikes. Well, most of our bikes. The weather was just how I liked it: overcast, windy and cool but not cold. I'm not really a beach person (even if my actions over the past three days say different) I'm not one for suntans and seaweed. I can do without lying in the hot lick of the sun, where the white sands reflect the light in a headache inducing blindness. I don't do volleyball, surfing or swimming. I think that last one is really what makes me beach-phobic. I have wee ones. None of us swim. That's a dangerous combination when in close proximity to large masses of water.

But yesterday, well, yesterday was one of those little jewels of beach time.

The water was too cold to go out far, just a quick splashing of ankles and knees before retreating back to the tide line, which relieved much of my water fears. For living in Florida for more than two-thirds of my life, I've rarely visited the beaches, which makes up a big part of the sights of the state. I actually had to call Rob to find a beach Friday. And found out it was less than fifteen minutes from my house.  Pathetic, I know.

The beach was ripe with shells. The girls and I went hunting for perfect mermaid ones.

Even though, at this beach, the sand was more gritty and rife tiny shell shards, we got to dig and play. Max loves dirt. He's the quintessential boy. I even got a photo of me.

We got rained out after only about an hour and a half but it was enough. We biked back to the car down the trail which was significantly harder than the ride in. Pulling seventy or so pounds of kid on a bike is hard. Especially, when you're out of shape. I could have complained and moaned and been irritated we spent so much money on something that wasn't very much fun (for me, at least) but I didn't. I firmed my resolve to just get better and maybe, if we can have more days like this, try not to hate the beach quite so much.