it’s no secret that my son and i spend a majority of our time with our best friends: affectionately referred to as the bestie and the babies. last weekend we made our seasonal debut trip to the beach. we’d talked about it for weeks and were finally able to bring it to fruition. an afternoon with three kids and two snackin’ SuperMamas can run pretty costly so if and when we find something budget friendly, we’re in.
we all love the water. our trips to the beach have become pretty status quo over the years. visiting at least two or three times in the summer months. kids are so amazed and enamored with the sea. i have come to discover that my own love of the sea is long standing and strong. i have always been attracted to the sound, the sand, the shells and the animals. we have previously visited more popular and populated beaches… where finding your own sand station for the day is challenging. with the magic of four wireless digital devices a few traffic setbacks and this:
the “are we there yet?” trio. available in loud, louder and screeching.
SuperBoy, SweetHeart and The MadMan respectively.
we were steered to crystal cove. a state park.
after paying what we thought was an enormous amount to park and speaking with a very pleasant but slow talking park representative, we were advised that the beach itself was about an approximate half-mile walk away. we pressed on.
we decided to take a tour first to determine whether or not we wanted to set up camp. we gathered the children and the keys, trekked through the tall wildflowery path and voiced our skepticism and hunger along the way. there was a vantage point that allowed us to survey the cove itself. it was quiet and serene. there were beach-goers, but plenty of space.
we decided to set up camp. i went back to the car and gathered everything we had determined to be necessary and required (remind me never to volunteer for that duty again).
with the help of passersby i managed to navigate the hill in the picture below with a packed ice chest, duffle bag, back pack, two more bags, two buckets, an over-sized shovel and all the while, wearing flip flops. this is also the main reason that our little camp is located right here. right in front. we didn’t realize it then, but we were right in the way of the state park beach cruising truck.
the hill of death. and that’s our camp. and that’s callie: my SweetHeart.
after setting everything in it’s place, applying sunblock and giving the sand toys, the kids scampered off until we managed to make our sandwiches and set everyone up to finally be able to eat. and we all ate. some of us (us mamas) standing, some of us (our babies) sitting and most of us quiet as a mouse.
turkey sandwiches, cheetos, grapes and gatorade.
it’s what future CHAMPIONS are made of.
we were all so happy that we stumbled upon this little place. we had a great time. i don’t really have a lot to say about it because i think i took some good pictures.
The MadMan, enjoying his own section of sand…
we ate, we played, we danced in the water. we fought off a very aggressive fearless seagull that pecked his way through a few paper towels (my guess is he was looking for crumbs and scraps, but all he got was paper — and probably some mild constipation).
the boys and i started the most non-sandcastle-like sandcastle compound, but the princess of the pack decided to completely mow over our hard work to construct a sand turtle safe ground:
sand turtle safe ground complete with seaweed retaining wall
eventually the sand got boring and the waves got interesting… the water was NOT hot, or even warm, but that doesn’t deter children very much. they ran into and out of the waves, with goosebumps on their arms and legs and teeth a-chattering. cute as can be.
watching the waves and poised for their attack!
look at him (AJ on the left), bent down low like a mouse-chasing cat! ready to pounce.
The MadMan never let the water catch him.. not once. but he had insurmountable fun waiting for the waves to TRY. and he threw sand at it. i still haven’t figured out why.
they got cold from time to time and i created a nice little “warming station”:
on a warm towel, under a warm towel, refueling with some fruit
(and sand “what’s crunchy, mommy?”)
or we buried them… … what? why are you looking at me like that? oh, ha! yeah, we BURIED THEM in the sand!
isn’t that the best expression? he looks like he heard the same thing “let’s bury him”… withOUT the “in the sand” part… 😀
that was pretty much our entire day. shannon took the kids down to the tide pools to see the sea critters. i held down the camp and had words with some birds. the SuperHeroes saw some things, touched some things and mistook a crab for a rock!! we all got sunburnt and the ride home was 300% quieter than the ride there. but what a day. and now… for my three favorite pictures:
seagulls. about every half hour for the duration of our stay…
via instagram: my SuperBoy just absolutely enjoying himself.
via instagram: my “disney” photo finish. the MadMan had just warmed himself in the sand next to me. when he jumped up and ran away, i got this shot. ❤ it.
the only thing i can’t really share is the look on their faces as they ran from the waves, shared with me the amazements they saw in the tide pools and how much it made me melt. they are all such good kids. these are the moments that will never leave our minds. “the little things”. a trip to the beach, some sand castles and free waves. it’s times like these that prove how amazing friendship can be and precious it is. we are all blessed.. and i will never let them forget it.
Brown Sugar Britches's Blog 
One of my FAVORITE beaches ever! Did you walk down to see the “Beaches” house!? One summer I rented one of the insanely overpriced cabins, but the fact that my nieces and nephews will always have those fabulous memories made it totally worth it!!!
i want to say that i’d been there before, but it was long ago when there were no children in tow. it really was just a nice day and we had fun. we stopped for snacks on the way home, the kids got in a fight including hitting, scratching a little bleeding and a couple spankings. but that’s par for the course.
my reason for writing about it is that it caught us by surprise. as we walked down to “the cove”, shannon and i both voiced our “this might not be good” opinions because it was hot, we were walking a long distance, and everyone was already REALLY hungry. it proved to be an excellent decision. i’m glad we went, i’m glad we stayed and i’m most grateful for cell phones with cameras.
some things just can’t be shared with words.
Love this! Love you! 🙂
you’re too kind, my friend. thanks for the continued love, support and comments. love you too.
Thank you for that beautiful narrative, B. I felt as though I was right there with you. We are an hour from Lake Micigan and my kids just about grew up on those beaches. If you take away the McMansions and the boats, the beach is the “Great Equalizer”. It’s just you and the sand and the water. True democracy….true freedom. Thanks for taking me along with you. …t
it is my absolute pleasure to take you along with me. i really wish that i was able to get those awesome expressions on the kids’ faces, but the fun, the waves and the camera were not in sync. but alas, I have them in my mind and will cherish them always. these are some of my most favorite times in life. thanks, t.
Loved the read. happy to see Kenneth having a great time:)
gramma deen! thanks for stopping by and enjoying. kenneth loves any and everything that is outside. I’m hoping that passion is lifelong. thanks for the comment.
What a beautiful day you’ve captured in this post, T. And how amazing that those kids will be able to read about it in a few years, and see the pictures, when they would otherwise have long forgotten about it.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the summer.
ya know, charles, i had not even thought about the fact that the kids can come here and read this and flashback to such wonderful times. i’m so glad that you say that. what wonders technology has brought us and how awesome for the future generations.
as always, thank you for your continued support and commenting. you’re a wordpress super star, and I can only aspire.