Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts
Friday, April 25, 2008
PARTING SHOT
Thought I would send a farewell picture.....we are heading for home this morning and should be back Saturday. Here is a picture of this morning's sunrise from our balcony.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
JUST (ANOTHER) DAY AT THE BEACH
I know I am not going to be ready to come home on Friday. There are balcony doors off the living room and our bedroom - - we have been sleeping with the door open at night because it has been so temperate and because it is so peaceful and soothing to hear the waves as we fall asleep - - from the deck, you could literally throw a rock and land it in the ocean.
Today was absolutely wonderful. The kids slept until about 8:30AM, then after breakfast, we headed down to the beach. We walked up and down the beach, combing for shells, then Chris and I sat in our beach chairs and read while the kids played in the sand and splashed in the water. We had lunch sitting on our deck that overlooks the ocean, then spent the afternoon on the beach in the same manner we had spent the morning. Chris and I were much more dilligent in our sunscreen application today - we are still pink from Monday, but added no new toasting to our bodies.
We got cleaned up about 5PM, then headed to a place called "Off the Hook" for dinner. They had a Wednesday night special of all-you-can-eat crablegs (Chris and I pigged out a little bit!) Our kids are very good eaters and always open to trying new things. Maggie has had crablegs before and loves them, so she was very excited to be sharing them with us. Before they arrived, Aleita told us she wanted some too. Once the waitress set the plate in front of me, Aleita took one look at them and said, "no thank you!" But, as she watched Chris, Maggie, and I devour them, she was too intrigued to pass them up. Soon, all four of us were eating crablegs as fast as Chris and I could crack them open. We filled up two good sized buckets with discarded crab shells before we threw in the proverbial towel.
I just got done a little bit ago reading Aleita her bedtime story and putting her to bed. She asked me to lay with her for a little bit -- I laid down with her, and in less than two minutes, she let out a deep sigh and went right to sleep. Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be sunny and warm, so I am looking forward to spending our last full day at the beach again. I am so glad we decided to get away - - this trip has been wonderful.
Today was absolutely wonderful. The kids slept until about 8:30AM, then after breakfast, we headed down to the beach. We walked up and down the beach, combing for shells, then Chris and I sat in our beach chairs and read while the kids played in the sand and splashed in the water. We had lunch sitting on our deck that overlooks the ocean, then spent the afternoon on the beach in the same manner we had spent the morning. Chris and I were much more dilligent in our sunscreen application today - we are still pink from Monday, but added no new toasting to our bodies.
We got cleaned up about 5PM, then headed to a place called "Off the Hook" for dinner. They had a Wednesday night special of all-you-can-eat crablegs (Chris and I pigged out a little bit!) Our kids are very good eaters and always open to trying new things. Maggie has had crablegs before and loves them, so she was very excited to be sharing them with us. Before they arrived, Aleita told us she wanted some too. Once the waitress set the plate in front of me, Aleita took one look at them and said, "no thank you!" But, as she watched Chris, Maggie, and I devour them, she was too intrigued to pass them up. Soon, all four of us were eating crablegs as fast as Chris and I could crack them open. We filled up two good sized buckets with discarded crab shells before we threw in the proverbial towel.
I just got done a little bit ago reading Aleita her bedtime story and putting her to bed. She asked me to lay with her for a little bit -- I laid down with her, and in less than two minutes, she let out a deep sigh and went right to sleep. Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be sunny and warm, so I am looking forward to spending our last full day at the beach again. I am so glad we decided to get away - - this trip has been wonderful.
Monday, April 21, 2008
JUST A DAY AT THE BEACH
We spent a lovely day at the beach today. Today's temperatures on the Isle of Palms were a wonderful 75 degrees and bright and sunny. We spent the morning walking up and down the beach hunting for seashells - - Maggie is very discerning in her picks, while Aleita simply wants to grab everything she sees - - with Aleita helping collect shells, the bucket is filled in no time flat. We had to stop and dump them out at one point and decide which ones to keep because there were so many. I actually found a complete and very pretty sand dollar. After we ate lunch, we got all the beach gear and headed back to the waterfront.
Aleita and Maggie played joyously for several hours, building more of what resembled war-ravaged structures than sand castles, but they enjoyed themselves. Chris and I sat in beach chairs and read, and occasionally helped in the sand building. Aleita's favorite thing to do was smash whatever was just built, so I learned to work hard to get my sand structures together quickly, rather than working towards perfection. After I would get five or six small sand domes in a line, Aleita would drive her plastic beach truck through my newly established community.
As it is April, the ocean is still fairly cold and only allowed you to get in about up to your waist before a wave would come up that would give you just enough of a splash of water "above the belt" that was a good reminder as to why you didn't want to venture out any further. The condo where we are staying has a heated outdoor pool, and it is also a bit cool, but at least more tolerable than the ocean.
Chris and I are both pale as can be, so we slathered on 50 SPF sunscreen on ourselves as well as the children. Around 2PM, everyone got it reapplied. The girls, with their darker skin, faired much better than we did. They have some cute tan lines showing where their bikinis were (yes, I managed to get Aleita into a bikini, though she did have a Power Rangers sunvisor on her head.) Apparently, I missed applying sunscreen on the area on both sides of me where my chest meets my arms. I also missed a small area of my cleavage. I definitely have some weird burn marks. Chris burned about one of the worst areas possible - - he says that he did apply sunscreen to the tops of his feet, but suspects that playing in the sand and the water probably washed it off and he probably forgot to reapply it. The tops of his feet are pink as can be. Tonight we made a run to Target and got Aloe Vera, Ibuprofen, and 70 SPF sunscreen for tomorrow. (I didn't even know they MADE 70 SPF sunscreen!)
Other than that, everything is wonderful - - I suspect the week will go by way too fast.
Aleita and Maggie played joyously for several hours, building more of what resembled war-ravaged structures than sand castles, but they enjoyed themselves. Chris and I sat in beach chairs and read, and occasionally helped in the sand building. Aleita's favorite thing to do was smash whatever was just built, so I learned to work hard to get my sand structures together quickly, rather than working towards perfection. After I would get five or six small sand domes in a line, Aleita would drive her plastic beach truck through my newly established community.
As it is April, the ocean is still fairly cold and only allowed you to get in about up to your waist before a wave would come up that would give you just enough of a splash of water "above the belt" that was a good reminder as to why you didn't want to venture out any further. The condo where we are staying has a heated outdoor pool, and it is also a bit cool, but at least more tolerable than the ocean.
Chris and I are both pale as can be, so we slathered on 50 SPF sunscreen on ourselves as well as the children. Around 2PM, everyone got it reapplied. The girls, with their darker skin, faired much better than we did. They have some cute tan lines showing where their bikinis were (yes, I managed to get Aleita into a bikini, though she did have a Power Rangers sunvisor on her head.) Apparently, I missed applying sunscreen on the area on both sides of me where my chest meets my arms. I also missed a small area of my cleavage. I definitely have some weird burn marks. Chris burned about one of the worst areas possible - - he says that he did apply sunscreen to the tops of his feet, but suspects that playing in the sand and the water probably washed it off and he probably forgot to reapply it. The tops of his feet are pink as can be. Tonight we made a run to Target and got Aloe Vera, Ibuprofen, and 70 SPF sunscreen for tomorrow. (I didn't even know they MADE 70 SPF sunscreen!)
Other than that, everything is wonderful - - I suspect the week will go by way too fast.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Rustic, Schmustic
I am so sick of the snow. I am definitely ready for warmer weather. We got another five inches of snow yesterday, and it is going to be in the 30s all week long, with the possibility of more snow this Friday. Enough already!
Of late, I have been living vicariously through my vacation planning. We are going to go to Charleston, SC next month, and I am more than ready for some sun and warm weather. The condo that we are staying in is right on the beach, ocean front. The kids have been to the gulf several times, but this will be their first trip to the Atlantic. They are going to be in for a bit of a surprise when they realize that they are not in store for the white sugar sand beaches and warm peaceful waters of southern Alabama. I am excited for them to actually have the opportunity to be able to collect seashells. The only ones you can find where we vacation in Alabama are teeny tiny ones, if at all.
My husband’s family are all taking a group family vacation this year. They did ask us to come along, but two things prevented it. The first is that the week they chose in April, Maggie is in school all week, and I don’t want her to miss an entire week of school. (During the week we are going to be gone to Charleston, she is out of school for teacher meetings three days, and we are taking her out the other two.) The other reason is their choice of vacation venue.
The rest of the Hale family will be spending a week camping in Kentucky. Go with God, ya’ll. Becky don’t camp. I was assured that the campgrounds they are staying at are very modern, and they even have "rustic" cabins that we could stay in if we didn't want to tent camp. ("Rustic" read: no indoor plumbing.) The following week, I will fondly think of their week cooking over the open fire and peeing outdoors while I sit and sip my beer from the deck of my condo overlooking the ocean.
Of late, I have been living vicariously through my vacation planning. We are going to go to Charleston, SC next month, and I am more than ready for some sun and warm weather. The condo that we are staying in is right on the beach, ocean front. The kids have been to the gulf several times, but this will be their first trip to the Atlantic. They are going to be in for a bit of a surprise when they realize that they are not in store for the white sugar sand beaches and warm peaceful waters of southern Alabama. I am excited for them to actually have the opportunity to be able to collect seashells. The only ones you can find where we vacation in Alabama are teeny tiny ones, if at all.
My husband’s family are all taking a group family vacation this year. They did ask us to come along, but two things prevented it. The first is that the week they chose in April, Maggie is in school all week, and I don’t want her to miss an entire week of school. (During the week we are going to be gone to Charleston, she is out of school for teacher meetings three days, and we are taking her out the other two.) The other reason is their choice of vacation venue.
The rest of the Hale family will be spending a week camping in Kentucky. Go with God, ya’ll. Becky don’t camp. I was assured that the campgrounds they are staying at are very modern, and they even have "rustic" cabins that we could stay in if we didn't want to tent camp. ("Rustic" read: no indoor plumbing.) The following week, I will fondly think of their week cooking over the open fire and peeing outdoors while I sit and sip my beer from the deck of my condo overlooking the ocean.
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