CA EX - The Beach

You know you enjoy spending time with people when you would rather hang out than go somewhere. Call it what you will...it is fun to shoot the breeze with the Kelly's. We had plans to possibly go see the Charles Schulz museum, but as the day progressed, we could tell that we would all rather hang out and play games. So Saturday was pretty chill. We did go swimming. That is always a blast and this time Ethan came with us. There was an attempt to get some new fish for the tank, but the water needed some treatment first. (Pearl was the dynamo behind this. She loved the fish and talked about them constantly.) We taught Ethan Mao. And Jeannie later. (She is hilarious to play with.) We played some Blockus. (I won.) There was some more Buckum and I believe more Scotch Bridge. (Tyler won again.) Loads of fun.

Sunday was a busy full day though. We went to church in the morning. Thanks to the internet, it is never hard to find an LDS building and meeting schedule. When I was a kid, I remember my parents really hunting to locate a place and it was hit and miss for time. On our way to church, I saw this awesome alligator. We took pictures on the way back. He seems to be made of metal discs. Can you see the bee on him? (Look closely*.)

Our Sunday plans included a trip to the beach. If you get this close to the coast, the beach is a must for us landlocked folks. Tim packed up a stellar picnic lunch and we were on our way. Henry got to ride in our car. I told Robyn I was going to take a picture and show Moxy. (She would be jealous.)

There was a bit of traffic on the way there. At one point, we almost turned around, but after passing out some walkie talkies (which we conveniently keep in the car) and deciding it was worth the wait, we settled in for the ride. It wasn't too bad actually, although some people couldn't stay awake.

And the beach was totally worth it. Doesn't this smile say everything?

The water was COLD! I never got in past my ankles. The kids were more brave than I for sure. Ivory already looks like she took a dip. (She also looks like she is saying, "Cold.")

Here are the teens.

When did they grow up? I just found this picture of them at Fete Day when they were five.

The ocean was beautiful. The weather was cloudy with a breeze, but it wasn't too cold, unless you went in the water. It was such a lovely day. It looks like we were there all alone, but there were quite a few people. In fact, because of the holiday, they cracked down on the rules. Apparently the beach we were at did not allow dogs. Poor Henry only got about two minutes on the beach before he had to spend his time in the car. Boo. (Moxy is not so jealous anymore.)

Not all beaches are the same. I assumed we would find sandbugs, just like we do in Southern CA. No go. Robyn was so disappointed. That was what she was most looking forward to.

Pearl, on the other hand, was just looking for sand. And she found plenty of that.

I believe June was the most brave and ventured the furthest into the water. This is right before a wave took her out.

She came out sputtering and I told her that she lost. She seemed to have a pretty good attitude about it. Hahaha, and I love her eyebrows. I didn't know the waves could give you that style.

I made my mark on the beach, but the water took my hard work away only moments later. That tide...it is so wishy-washy.

I'm rocking the sun hat. (Thanks Jeannie.) Although the sun was well hidden, we didn't make the same mistake as last time. We all had a good layer of sunscreen.

The Stallion always makes the beach look good.

Tyler shot a panorama of the beach. I looked at this picture for a while trying to decide why I looked like I had cowboy legs. I forgot Jeannie was tying her shoe in front of me.

Don't worry, we got her from a more flattering angle later. Looking good Kelly's.

A mermaid washed up on shore. Cute little thing. Well, her tail isn't so little. I think that is why she got beached.

So I worked some Triton magic and turned her tail into legs. Amazing.

Now, you need a little background for this upcoming video. Jeannie brought this fun paddle ball game with her. Ethan and June played, trying to hit it back and forth without the ball touching the ground. Their record was 11. Well, Ethan went off to fly a kite with Tyler and Tim. In the meantime, June and I ramped the record up to 26. We were awesome. While I was discovering the mermaid, Tyler and Ethan played. It was pretty sketchy about their score, because they started counting at 30 so it sounded better. But even with the skiwampus numbers, they beat our record and replaced it with 28 hits in a row. I thought it would be fun to get a video of Ethan and Tyler playing. But they decided to change directions right as I started to record. I don't think the wind was in their favor. (Look for a cameo of Erin.)

But it doesn't really matter, because after they finished, Ethan and I played and we killed it. Our top score was 48! It was a stellar run.

Pearl eventually curled up in a towel and wouldn't move. I think her little body was slowly freezing in place. That is always a good sign that it is time to go.

June made us take a picture of her seaweed creation. Once again, only my kids were playing with the seaweed. They sure like it.

The drive home was faster; no traffic this time around. We stopped to get Salt Water Taffy and it was so delicious. I don't usually like taffy, but I think that is because I haven't had it fresh like this. We tried so many flavors. I admit that I scoffed at Tim buying the 'Chicken and Waffle' flavored taffy, but those were some of my favorite. (Now I wish we'd gotten the Maple Bacon.)

We stopped by the pool and everyone took a dip to rinse off some sand. Well, Erin and I didn't swim. We watched and cheered on the swimmers.

In the evening, we curled up on sofas and watched Olympic trials and American Ninja Warrior until it was way past bedtime.But that is what vacations are for. (I'm excited for the Olympics. I should really figure out a schedule so we can watch some events and not miss everything. We don't turn the TV on much at home.) It was a super fun day, made even better by sharing the beach with family.


*The bee was on the alligator's mouth. On his lower jaw. The kids found it when they zoomed in on the picture.