Water Water Everywhere - Beach Adventures 2012

At the start of 2012, I set the goal of visiting the ocean more than I did in 2011.  I am certainly proud to say that I have definitely accomplished that before the summer had ended.

Starting with going to Crane Beach even before Memorial Day Weekend, I went to the beach almost every single week this past summer.  There were even times when I went several times in a week!  The weeks when I wasn't able to make it to the beach, I was in some other form of water, like a pool or waterfalls.  Suffice it to say, I'm pretty tan as of right now.

Crane Beach
A little more than a month after the first beach day, I rejoined those same girl friends back at Crane Beach, and I ended up going to Crane Beach 2 more times with the summer camp.  Crane is really great beach, with or without kids.  Other than the long stretch of beach, there's a lot of parking (albeit expensive parking), decent changing and bathroom space, a kiosk with food and cold refreshments, and an outdoor shower/cleaning area.

beautiful sunny day at Crane Beach

Revere Beach and Nahant Beach and All Points Inbetween
There was also quite a bit of time spent in the Revere and Lynn this summer.  On Memorial Day weekend, a date took me to a beach somewhere between Revere and Lynn (maybe somewhere in Winthrop?), after a night of dancing at a drag queen bar.  Even though there were so many mosquitoes attacking me, it was a beautiful night, and watching the planes land and take off is really quite a romantic idea.

Logan Airport in the middle of the night

Later in July, I took my group of kids to Revere Beach for the Annual Sand Castle Competition.  I hadn't been there for quite a long time, so I didn't anticipate that there were going to be so many people and other camps present that day.  But the kids seemed to enjoy the free samples being handed out, and the sand art was quite impressive.

even the artist was impressing himself enough to take a picture...

how do they do it???

About a week later, I ended up back at Revere Beach, and once again at night time.  Originally, some of my coworkers and I were just going to hang, but when someone joked about going into the water only 2 of us were actually quite serious.

Remember last year when my girl friends and I celebrated one of their 40th birthdays by running topless into Revere Beach at midnight?  Well, I got to reprise this action with a couple of changes.  My guy and I both went in with just our undies, as I didn't want to go completely topless around my coworkers.  It was really fun, actually.  There were so many stars, and the water was relatively calm.  I wouldn't hesitate to go in topless next time, as there will obviously be a next time.

On July 1st, a friend invited me to join him and some other friends at Nahant Beach.  Though we got there later in the afternoon, it was still a pleasant day filled with riding around in my friend's Porsche during the day and a bit of hot tub action later in the evening.

a little topless action in a Porsche

In mid-July, I was once again at Nahant with friends.  This time, it was much more sunny, though the water was still a bit colder than I would have liked.

trying to touch the sun

Nantasket Beach
Early in July, we went to Nantasket Beach with the summer camp.  Nantasket is located right at Hull, south of Boston.  It's not too far a drive, actually.  There's an arcade and playground area for the kiddos, and there's also food kiosks along the boardwalk.  My only issue is that there isn't much beach between the wall that protects the boardwalk and the actual water.

But the water is shallow for a longer stretch, which allows the kids to think that we're going out much further than we actually are.

Good Harbor Beach
In the beginning of August, my guy and I decided to explore a new beach that neither of us had been to.  He had heard about Good Harbor Beach, located in Gloucester, and that it was a good one for families.  So one night after work, we drove up to the North Shore and discovered an amazing beach.  Two weeks later, we took the camp there.

There's a couple of showers, and a small bathroom area.  There's also a food kiosk with some pretty decent items, like a bacon cheese burger.  There isn't a lot of space to sit and eat by the kiosk, so we struggled with that when we took the camp.  But there's plenty of parking.

The waves are amazing!  I mean, real actual waves.  At all the other beaches, the kids would get all loud and scream when an ebb of the ocean would come at them.  But these are waves at Good Harbor.  Like, knock-you-off-your-balance-type waves.  The kids had a blast.

mermaid in the waves

My guy and I also had a great time here.  I don't think I've ever been at a beach on the East Coast when it's been around sunset and dusk.  I'm personally a fan of sunsets over the Pacific Ocean, but clearly I'm biased.  But the way the clouds looked and just being out in the water together, well, it was perhaps one of the most romantic things I've done.  You wanna sweep me off my feet?  Well, well-timed sunsets and oceans are a good way to do it.

Horseneck Beach
With the end of the summer camp nearing, my guy and I decide it's time for another beach trip just for the two of us.  On a related side note, it's pretty awesome that he's so into playing in the ocean.  He's really much more into nature than I am, having not grown up going on camping trips with my family.  He's also more willing to go into frigid water than I ever will be.  Regardless, it's been kind of an epic summer because of our ocean adventures.

mermaid and merman

Horseneck Beach is located on the Cape of Massachusetts.  It might as well be in Rhode Island, as it's at the bottom part of the state.  The beach houses are all eco-friendly, with no-flush toilets and automatic sensor faucets and paper towel machines.  There's a shower to rinse off the sand right outside the bathrooms, and an outdoor changing station.  The best amenity, really is that parking was only $7!! On a weekend!!!  Most of the North Shore beaches request about $25 just to park, which is ridiculous to me.  So $7 to park at a gorgeous beach makes the longer drive worth it.

clear blue-green waters

Oh, and the waves were awesome!

Wheeee!

Old Orchard Beach
On Labor Day weekend, we went with his brother and friends up to Saco, Maine, for a weekend of glamping - that's glam-camping - at a KOA.  Basically, I was still in a tent, but there were restrooms and showers and a laundry room and electricity hook-ups.  There were also little extras, like a swimming pool, a playground, and bikes and trikes you could rent by the hour.  There are even cabins folks can stay in for the non-campers.

I had never been to Old Orchard Beach until then, but it reminded me a lot of Santa Cruz.  There's a trolly that picked us up from the campground and dropped us off right in the center of it all.  Old Orchard Beach has a small amusement park, with a couple of rides, games, and arcades.  There was also some fairly decent food choices at the boardwalk as well.

Now, the beach itself was nice.  It was packed, naturally, on this holiday weekend.  I noticed quite a number of folks speaking French, and I'm assuming they came down from Canada.

But holy-mother was the water FREEZING!!! I mean, even the wet sand started to make the bottoms of my feet go numb!  But, being that my guy was going to go into the water, I was at least going to be brave enough to submerge myself in the water several times.

And then there were the dead bugs  I'm assuming they were little gnats of some sort.  As we were walking towards the water, I noticed rows of little things in the sand.  I was pretty sure they were bugs, but that's always my assumption.  "No way! They're just plant matter!" he said.  But when we got in the water, I was even more certain they were bugs, and he couldn't deny it any more.

So, the water was freezing and filled with dead bugs.  I looked around and realized that I was the only person of color actually submerging myself into the water.  There was one man who was only in the water up to his ankles.  I joked saying that I was starting to really dislike white people at that moment, but it felt kind of real as my body went numb.

Venice Beach and Santa Monica Beach
That's right.  I got to go to some West Coast beaches as well.  After the freezing waters of Maine, it was a wonderful change to be back in California.

Naturally, I wanted to bring my guy to the beaches, even though he's been there, just to provide a comparison.

The waves were the waves that I so loved playing in.  He seemed to enjoy himself in the water as well.  So much so that even though we were only really in town for 48 hours, we got to go to the beach twice.

For the most part, my friends and I had explored Venice Beach.  It had been quite some time since I had stepped foot on Santa Monica Pier.  But when we went to meet up with one of his friends from college, we met at what basically was a playground for adults.  There were rings, balance beams, ropes, and tension ropes.

Truth be told, everyone was so fit and athletic that it made me extremely self-conscious of my own body.  I knew there was no way I was swinging on the rings like a monkey.  But I decided to give the tension ropes a try.

quite difficult...but fun to try!

16 Beach Trips Total...
...as of today.  With fall in the air, I'm sadly putting away my bathing suits.  But, who's to say that there won't be a randomly hot day that calls for the beach?

I'm still quite satisfied with all the trips to the water I was able to make this year.  It made for a truly epic and unforgettable summer.

Interesting Offers on the First Beach Weekend of 2012

It had been too warm of a winter.  And now it's been somewhat of a cloudy summer.  Still relatively warm, don't get me wrong.  But still not the consistently sunny-with-a-couple-of-pretty-clouds-in-the-sky kind of summer I would hope for.

Actually, let me take that back.  It's not even officially summer.

But, on the days when it has been beautiful, I am certain to be spending it outside in some fashion.

A couple of weeks ago, we had quite a bit of rainy days followed by a beautiful weekend.  Two of my girl friends and I made our way to Crane Beach, one of the North Shore beaches here in Massachusetts.

beach supplies

On a complete sidebar, do you remember that so-horrible-I-can't-stop-watching-it afternoon soap opera, "Passions"?  It was the only soap I watched ever.  It was so bad.  So cheesy.  I loved it!  But, if you remember, the wealthy family lived in "Harmony, New England," and their last name was Crane!  Well, Crane Beach is part of the Crane Estate, and though it's now a public area (but there's still fees for everything), I can't help but think back to Passions.

Anywhos, back to my story.

So, here we are, lounging on this gorgeous beach. The sand is warm, the water is (relatively) warm.  It's beautiful.

sparkly sand

I notice this one large man carrying a large gallon of water.  I thought about how strange it was since it wasn't that hot.  Then I realize that he spots the 3 of us on our towels, and he proceeds to park himself on a nearby spot.  I roll my eyes internally.

Within about 5 minutes, he proceeds to start doing pushups, superman's, snow angels, and crunches.  Then he goes for a jog and returns to chug from his gallon jug.

At some point, one of my friends heads to the water.  Immediately, the man, let's call him Gallon Man, stands up and slowly follows behind her.  My other friend and I are watching intently to see what will come of this situation. 

Eventually, he seems to say something to her, as we see her turn towards him.  They separate ways.  Oh, man!  I couldn't wait to see what she had to say!

We get up and walk towards her, ready to hear what he had said to her.  Apparently, he said, "Compliments on the view."

Wooooow.  Ballsy.

When we all head back to our towels, Gallon Man is back at his.  He overhears our conversation and proceeds to chime in.  I believe it had something to do with Norway and the Baltic area.  He shared that he had been to that area, also stating that he had been to "Swedish."  Oops.

After sharing a bit about his experience, he then proceeds to get up and approach us three, asking how we knew each other.  When we explained that we knew each other through Middle Eastern dance, he then explained he knew we were dancers.  We walked so "gracefully," and the way our bodies moved definitely meant we were dancers.

It hasn't even gotten to the good part, y'all.

He then tells us we're all "Goddesses."  He would love the chance to "worship" us.  If he put all of our bodies together we would be some sort of supreme goddess.  He said something about my strong legs, my friend's butt, and my other friend's lower back. 

Believe me, I was face down in my towel trying not to laugh in his face.

He continued to ask if he could "worship" us, and I had to speak up and ask him to clarify.  He said he would just love to give each one of us a quick kiss on those parts of our body he decided were worship-worthy.  He even said, in a somewhat begging voice, that he would do upside down push ups for a chance to worship us.

What the heck are upside down push ups?  I honestly feel like he would have to be on his back or something.  But my friends said he was talking about being in a handstand position, then doing the push-up movement.

Ridiculous.  Just ridiculous.

After laughing a bit about him, and learning that he was some Buddhist martial arts instructor, we settle back into our respective towels. 

Eventually, he got up to leave and began to virtually beg us to let him "worship" us.  We end up convincing one of my friends to let him kiss her lower back.  It was kind of hilarious, really.  She said it felt really "chaste," as though if was one of us giving the other a quick peck.

He then grabbed all his belongings and went along his merry way.   We couldn't believe any of that actually happened.  I wondered out loud if he was going down the beach to try it on some other schmucks, or perhaps it was a dare, or perhaps he was actually genuine.

Still.  This is the most ridiculous thing to happen to me on a beach in recent memory.

If this is any indication of how the rest of the summer is going to be, I can't even express to you how excited I am!

10 Day YOU Challenge - 9 Loves

9 loves:

1.  My Kitties

Yoni

Mencken

 2. My Family

3.  My Friends on Both Coasts

map of friends listed on Facebook

4.  My Zune and Music Collection

I've been listening to a lot of Tori lately due to her new album

5.  Dancing

Taken by Nina at Katia's Retreat

6. Food!

mmm..mickey mouse ice cream bar...

 7.  The Ocean and Beach

From Nahant Beach

 8. The Color Green in Every Shade

9.  What else but Mermaids!

my mermaid scarf

 

Beach Day - Nantasket and Nahant Beaches

Well, these last couple weeks of August have been quite unpredictable and unfortunately not as beautiful.  Though the rain is a nice relief from the humidity, its timing couldn't be any worse.  It rained on a Wednesday a couple of weeks ago, and it interfered with the summer program's beach day.

But on Friday, August 12th, the summer program made it's way to Nantasket Beach, in Hull.  I was looking forward to slightly warmer waters, even though it's still close to the Boston area.

The way the beach area is set up, there's a boardwalk that's raised above the actual beach area.  Since it's a thin stretch of land, it's possible that the concrete wall really helped to ensure that the high tide wouldn't overtake the boardwalk.

The water was also really not as bad as it could have been, though we arrived at really high tide.  It was still a tad bit colder than I would have liked, and yet it was really manageable.  I didn't get to explore the area that much since I had to stay with the kids, but it looks like a nice place to revisit.

Decent beaches in the Boston area

The next day, a friend and I went to Nahant Beach, on the opposite side of the Boston area bay.  The area that the public beach is located on is also another thin stretch of land and isn't too far from the city.  On this day, perhaps because we got there later in the afternoon, the tide was extremely low.  We walked quite a bit to get close enough to the water.

the shore and me

I'd have to say that I appreciate beaches with bath houses.  It's nice to not have to worry about restrooms and changing rooms.

At Nahant, the water was surprisingly not bad for being more north of the city.  It was also fairly shallow for quite a while.  At one point, I noticed some interesting debris in the water.  I thought it was small bits of seaweed, but as I looked closer I realized that whatever it was had legs and it looked like many of them were swimming towards me.  I quickly ran out of the water for fear of being overtaken by a bunch of little creatures.

I asked my friend to come out into the water with me just to get a second opinion on what the little creatures were.  She said that perhaps they were baby shrimp or other crustacean.  I felt a little bit better about having possibly identified them.  Then she said, "Hmm...well...I think I might have just gotten bitten."  I quickly turned around again and made my way out of the water.

I don't know if it was just the specific time of the year or what, but there are little creatures at Nahant Beach.  Otherwise, the water and the beach are really nice.

houses on Nahant

It was great to be out on the water for 2 days in a row.  I haven't had the pleasure of doing something like this since last year at Santorini.  It's also great to know that there are some decent beaches in the Boston area, and that I don't have to travel too far to get to them.

Hedonism Lite

As part of the summer rituals, my friends and I travel up to the woods of Vermont to participate in the weekend of the All Night Costume Dance Party at Quarry Hill.  Though it is usually on the first weekend of August, this year it was in the last weekend of July.

What is the All Night Costume Dance Party, you ask?  Well, it started in 1984 as a birthday celebration for one of my good friends, when she was asked what she wanted to do for her birthday.  She answered that she liked dancing, staying up all night, and costumes.  Thus the All Night Costume Dance Party was born.  Through the 27 years, it's grown into a reunion for the multitude of people who've lived there at some point, including international guests and children who grew up there.  But at its core, it's a celebration of life.

female Oscar

What happens at the All Night Costume Dance Party, you ask?  Well, it's pretty self-explanatory, don't you think?  Every year, there's a theme.  This year, the theme was "Hollywood."  Though I initially thought of dressing as a homeless person, I decided to go for an Oscar award instead.  Now, on the day of the party, there is also somewhat of a variety show/talent show.  Different people sing, dance, and do other random interesting and entertaining acts.  Then at 10pm, the party begins.  Hopefully, you've got your nap on at some point that afternoon or evening, because the night can get difficult if you're not well rested.  So, if you manage to dance the night away (while intermittently visiting the bonfire) and you see the sky starting to lighten, it's time to head to my friend's house where 1 batter of vegan and 1 batter of regular blueberry pancakes are awaiting the frying pan.  The blueberries are from a farm right next door, and the batter is a secret recipe from my friend's step-father.  After you've feasted on the delicious pancakes, it's time to crash out in your tent until the heat of the morning sun wakes you up.

It's an amazing weekend.  One that's worth sharing with people who you know enjoy a good time with a bit of adventure. 

Though our group wasn't as big or as small as it's been in the past couple of years, there were 3 newbies to the converts.  One of the newbies spoke a bit about how she was exploring the idea of pleasure, and we decided to continuously remind her about finding her pleasure and exhibiting a bit of hedonism.

dancing and costuming

Of all the times and places, this weekend in Vermont was definitely a place to explore ones hedonistic side.

In the grand scheme of camping, this is really camping lite.  There's still some access to bathrooms and running water, and usually access to a shower.  Though the shower was out of commission this year, we still got a chance to clean up a bit at the nearby creek.

We even got to cook and share a delicious pasta dinner together with several other campers.

veggie pasta action

But there are still mosquitoes.  And once again, I managed to get bitten several times in the course of 3 days.  Bug spray was my friend, and I even invested in a clip on bug repellant.

This year, time seemed to fly by.  It didn't seem like there was too much activity, and yet we managed to dance the night away without realizing how fast time was flying.  Before we knew it, it was time for pancakes.

Though it was pouring rain the night we drove up, the rest of the weekend was absolutely wonderful.

Then it was time to rejoin civilization.  But, as it turned out, the hedonism wasn't quite over.

Early on the 2nd, another friend who was unable to join us in Vermont decided we needed to continue our friend's birthday celebration by doing a bit of skinny dipping at one of the local beaches.

As the evening neared, I became uncertain about whether I would join.  I attended a Hawaiian slack key guitar performance that was so beautiful and relaxing that I was literally falling asleep in the restaurant.  It had been a long day already, and I was exhausted. 

But at the last minute, it turned out that I didn't actually have a choice about whether I would be attending or not.  My friend and I were to pick up another friend and meet the other 3 at Revere Beach.

I was so glad I didn't lame out.  I would have been devastated if I didn't make it to the beach that night!

At first we were nervous.  Was it illegal for us to be on the beach after sunset?  It was definitely illegal for us to get into the water completely naked.  Was it going to be freezing since it had rained earlier that day?

But then we decided, to hell with it.  How often do we get to do this?  We had decided to just go in topless at the chance that the cops did show up; it would also make for a quick get-away.  After we set up our blanket near the water, we checked the temperature.  It was surprisingly not as bad as it could have been, and that just made us more determined to go for it.

At the stroke of midnight, the 6 of us went running into the Atlantic Ocean, alive and free.  It felt so good, we did it twice!  I don't believe anyone went in completely, but we definitely got ourselves good and wet.

free women

It was amazing.  Absolutely amazing.  What a wonderful way to spend a 40th birthday.

After dining on some delicious banana bread and reflecting on our spontaneous adventure, we were all ready to head to dreamland.  I truly feel blessed to know that I have these type of women in my life.  I can only hope that my 30th and my 40th birthdays are spent with such powerful and inspiring people.

Beach Day: Crane Beach

On Wednesday, July 27th, the summer program got on several yellow school buses and headed for the North Shore of Massachusetts.  This beach day was spent at Crane Beach, where the water is freezing once again.

But the sand was fine and the weather was gorgeous!

Crane Beach

There's something quintessential about sand dunes at New England beaches.  Whereas the beaches stretch out for miles on the California coast, these beaches are punctuated by grassy dunes and marshes.  Though, I'd have to say that I don't agree with how the majority of nice beaches have a fee.

Regardless of the freezing cold water, I still braved it and managed to stay in the water the majority of the time.  Believe you me, this is really difficult for someone who's been blessed enough to know the pleasure of more tropical waters.  But, for the kids, I braved it.

my poor freezing toesies

The water was amazing, however.  Clear and casting a blueish-green hue.

Crane Beach is really nicely kept.  There are outdoor showers to help rinse off the sand, and a fairly accommodating changing area.  Though, this isn't necessarily surprising to anyone who noticed the signs for the Crane Estate as we were pulling up to the beach parking area.

The one part about these New England beaches that I'm not the biggest fan of is the bugs.  Big green flies and mosquitoes are just flying around the more marshy areas of the beaches, waiting to bite at my ankles.  In fact, I had 1 huge bug bite from Crane Beach that made my ankle swell up a bit and itch for a week. 

Still, Crane Beach was a good time with the program.  I had fun swimming around with the kids and joking around with the staff.

I'd have to say, speaking of the staff, that it's been a pleasant work environment.  Though I'm one of the older staff and I'm probably the one with the most advanced degree among the group leaders, I know that I'm blessed to have a bunch of like-minded people to work with.  Even when the kids frustrate us to no end, we all are still able to laugh about the ridiculous things kids try to pull among other more adult levels of hilarity.

Working full-time in the summer isn't ideal, but at least we get to play and have fun.

Beach Day: Houghton's Pond

Goodness. It's been a busy summer.  I have so much to share!!

Though it's not as relaxing as it can be, I've been able to go to the beach almost every week at the summer program.  So, I'm going to write a little bit about the beaches we've been to.

Houghton's Pond is located in the Blue Hills of the Greater Boston area.  It seems like it's a great place to go hiking and to have some outdoor BBQ action.  When we went on July 20th, the program took advantage of the BBQ pits and the beach area of the pond.

I had never swum in a pond before.  Up in Maine, the boyfriend's family took me canoeing and we swam around a bit in the river.  But swimming in a pond has not really come up.

Compared to the coldness of Singing Beach, Houghton's Pond was an absolute pleasure to swim in.  It really felt like bath water.  I suppose that in general pond water isn't super clear, since there's dirt and rocks from the forest floor.  But it felt really pleasant to swim in.  We also got to share the water with some geese.

honk honk, said the goose

The swimming area was pretty shallow, so it was a great place to take the younger kids.  At some point, the little kids decided that they wanted to hold on to me while I swam under water like a mermaid.  That was pretty fun, actually.

There were quite a number of people at Houghton's Pond for a Wednesday.  It was difficult not to run into other people while playing around in the water.  Still, it was a pretty nice place to be.

Gorgeous day for a swim

Beach Day - Dennis and Plymouth

I originally planned to do absolutely nothing this past weekend.

Absolutely nothing.

But when my friends asked if I was interested to join them in a beach day on the Cape, I couldn't say no.  I had only been to the Cape once before to explore the area, but it was still pretty chilly in May.

Earlier in the week, I went with the camp to Singing Beach (so called because the sand squeaks when you hit it at a certain angle).  The sand was ridiculously hot and the water was ridiculously cold.  It really should be illegal for beach water to be that cold.

But I managed to submerge myself underwater several times, but it surely felt like I might go into shock.  Still, even with nearly 100 kids, we survived.

Exhausted...but happy...and on a yellow bus...

So, it was difficult for me to believe that any beach water in Massachusetts could be manageable.  But we made our way to Dennis, which was located on the bicep of the Cape arm.

It's definitely worth it to get up early to make it to the Cape, just so you wouldn't have to park super far away from the actual shore.  However, with thanks to the town of Dennis' Beach Department (I love that they have a Beach Department!!!), if you pay the $20 to park at one beach parking, you can then park at any other Dennis beach parking lot.

At first, we stopped at Chapin Beach.  Though there was a line to get into the lot, it seemed that people were heading out fairly quickly.  We learned that it was because of the swarm of flies that were coming from the marsh on the other side of the dunes.  Those flies were pretty brutal, really.  I counted about 5 different bug bites at the end of the day.

Really, the best way to avoid the flies was to get into the water.  I was shocked at how warm the water was compared to Singing Beach!  So I was quite the happy camper.

Chapin Beach
July 16, 2011

There were also tons of little fishies swimming around!  I overheard a man telling his son that they were minnows, so I'm going to take his word for it.

Fishies, algae, seaweed, tosies

At some point, we started snacking on what we packed.  My friend asked if we wanted some chicken, which we enthusiastically said yes to.  Never would I have ever guessed that she would bring out an entire rotisserie chicken.  But never would I have ever guessed that it is really kind of a genius idea.

Chicken? Heck, ya!

After a short while, we got pretty sick of avoiding the flies, and decided to explore the town.  We ended up at the Cape Cod Chat House, which has a wonderful courtyard area where you can sit and enjoy an iced beverage and pastry.

playing with my new hair piece from Siren's Grotto on Etsy

Eventually, we decided it was nap time.  We braved another wait for parking at Mayflower Beach, and it was most definitely worth the wait.

gorgeous waters and clouds

There's a lot more space, and almost every inch of the beach was filled with people and their beach accessories.  But by 3 or 4 in the afternoon with high tide behind us, the shore was shallow for a good while.  I felt like I was walking and walking and walking and that the ocean might just take me.

It was gorgeous.  It's definitely worth it to make the early morning trek to get to Mayflower Beach.  Be patient with the morning/merging traffic and with the wait for parking.  But believe me, it is worth it.

After floating around in the water, napping, and sunning, one of my friends suggested that we head to Plymouth for dinner.  Though we ended up there just in time for the dinner rush, we eventually settled at the Blue Eyed Crab.  The food was pretty good and filling.  I had a crab burger...num!

Cheers to a successful beach day!

I was definitely nicely sunned and sleepy by the end of it all.  And I'm looking forward to more beach days with the kids, my fellow staff, and with friends.