Yesterday was "Dia de la Raza" (Columbus Day) and a school holiday in Chile. The day dawned sunny and bright and we decided to take the kids to the beach for our first official "beach day" of the spring/summer - sans the bathing. Armed with shovels and buckets and beach toys and blankets, we headed to Cavancha and set up shop underneath the shadow of the lifeguard chair. Arriving at the "early" hour of 11:00 a.m. meant avoiding the crowds, which was exactly what we hoped to do.
It was a fun morning. Altogether we spent 2-3 hours soaking in the sun, sand and surf and enjoying the kids' excitement at rediscovering the joys of sandcastles and soaking their toes in the waves. As expected, it wasn't long before one child took a tumble in the water, clothes and all, so Owen then proceeded to play a rousing game of softball with Daddy to try and dry off!
Eva ran circles around them and across the beach at large, while Isabel stayed somewhat close to home base as she wasn't feeling very well. Ian and Alec could have spent hours upon hours playing in the sand and even ventured to the water's edge once or twice. I should say Ian ventured twice, because Alec really wanted nothing to do with the water at all! He shrieked and tucked him legs up in the air like a gymnast when I tried to encourage him to just stick his toes in. I guess it will take a few more visits to the beach before he really gets his "sea legs" on. :)
Believe it or not, I didn't take the camera to the beach this time. The batteries were low, and I didn't want to have to worry about its safety. Instead I relaxed, read, played with the kids, and observed. Sometimes my observations were close by and sometimes they were at a distance, but by the time we went home I had a blog post brewing in my head. "Things I Love & Hate about the Beach" - stay tuned, as it will be coming up next!
It was a fun morning. Altogether we spent 2-3 hours soaking in the sun, sand and surf and enjoying the kids' excitement at rediscovering the joys of sandcastles and soaking their toes in the waves. As expected, it wasn't long before one child took a tumble in the water, clothes and all, so Owen then proceeded to play a rousing game of softball with Daddy to try and dry off!
Eva ran circles around them and across the beach at large, while Isabel stayed somewhat close to home base as she wasn't feeling very well. Ian and Alec could have spent hours upon hours playing in the sand and even ventured to the water's edge once or twice. I should say Ian ventured twice, because Alec really wanted nothing to do with the water at all! He shrieked and tucked him legs up in the air like a gymnast when I tried to encourage him to just stick his toes in. I guess it will take a few more visits to the beach before he really gets his "sea legs" on. :)
Believe it or not, I didn't take the camera to the beach this time. The batteries were low, and I didn't want to have to worry about its safety. Instead I relaxed, read, played with the kids, and observed. Sometimes my observations were close by and sometimes they were at a distance, but by the time we went home I had a blog post brewing in my head. "Things I Love & Hate about the Beach" - stay tuned, as it will be coming up next!
No comments:
Post a Comment