To the Beach! part IV

Day four, homecoming...  one last jaunt to the beach... and home again.

To the Beach! part III

I could do this every day for the rest of my life.

We completely needed a vacation (and by we I mean me).  By day three we were in full vacation mode.  The girls woke up early, attacked the day and by noon they were out cold. Matt and I took advantage of their long nap.  We sat on the porch listening to nothing, reading good books and drinking great wine.  It was fantastic.

Poor Seagulls didn't even see her coming...

And the sprint...

Success...

Ready for more.

To The Beach! part II

While our day of arrival at the beach was full of excitement, our second day was full of relaxation.  Day one was bright and sunny and we wanted to see and do everything, just in case the weather turned sour and we became stuck inside.  Day two was overcast with a threatening sky.  The girls opted to leave the suits at the house and use their raincoats to ward off raindrops.  It worked, and I think we only felt a couple drops the whole day.  We were able to get in a little bike ride and two trips down to the beach.  We had a dip in the hot tub and were down for the count.  I think I was asleep on the couch by 8.  Lovely. 

A big wave to Granny in Misawa... I think she saw us.

To The Beach! part I

Bags were packed.  Van was loaded.  Reservations were made.  We were off!  To the Beach!!  

I love the beach.  More than a good hike, more than a crisp snowy adventure; I love the beach.  It makes me feel connected.  That big ocean connects us all.  The far off places don't seem that far away when I look at the constant flow of the water, touching everything all at once.  It's the same ocean that floated my ancestors here from Ireland 200 years ago.  It's the same water that my grandma watched with my grandfather in the last years of his life.  It's constant.  It's powerful.  It shows no mercy, but it's beauty knows no bounds.  What's more is that it makes me feel small, insignificant, a mere mammal in the blink of the eye of the sea.  To some, feeling insignificant might seem depressing.  To me however, the feeling is refreshing.  The tide keeps on, with or without me, reshaping the earth, changing life as we know it... despite the hustle and bustle of the city... despite all of the admits at the hospital... the tide keeps on... 

The ocean is my happy place.  I can feel it filling me up until I overflow.  

 And yes, I'm totally fine with my scrawny Washington girls suiting up for 60 and sunny.  

This is how we roll.