beach day...

As the temperatures continue to rise so do the daily requests to go to the beach. This Moma is not a beach lady. In fact I actually find it odd that I am not a beach lover, as I grew up on the beach living just 5 miles from a hidden, secluded, pristine and beautiful beach called Cranes beach up on the North Shore in Ipswich, Ma. We spent many a summer there, long walks in the evening and even walks in the morning were always the norm. But there was always something about the texture of the beach that didn't quite mesh with me. The sand, sticking to your feet, hands, face and every other body part in between, the sandy sandwiches and sandy car ride home...the salt water and the water I would get the chills after a hot day at the beach mixed with the cool ocean breeze...it really wasn't my thing. BUT my kids love it, and since we are regular beach growers up in Delaware it is a treat for them here in Florida to have beaches within walking distance and or a short drive up the road.

There is one particular beach Caspersen that is famous for it's sharks teeth that roll in on the waves and onto the shore. People dig with special diggers as if panning for gold, all day every day, looking and hoping to find some teeth. The shark teeth we are told are from millions of years ago and for some reason are found quite specifically on this beach. I will post some pictures tomorrow of some of the ones we have found...

On this particular day we went just a bit North to Siesta key beach which has the most beautiful white sand beach....that is made up of quartz crystals. My mom says it is one of the vortex's and is one reason why this are is so full of alternative minded folks they are drawn to the area. The sand is so soft and really quite lovely....for some reason one of my lenses was producing a very strange washed out shot, that I had not realized till after we came home...Some of them are very white and others not as much...it created a very interesting look, very artistic and portrait like...
I played around a bit with my not so great photo app on my computer trying to see what I could come up with to enhance the pictures that were really washed out. One lens was my short range lens with a hood the other was my big long range lens with no hood..any ideas on which was causes the washed out look?? The one without the hood perhaps?

Eliza had a blast...splashing and picking up seaweed running in the waves and running away from the waves....
There was lots of sand castle building, trench digging and drip castle making.

There was also a lot of just squishing our toes into the sand and watching them disappear beneath the sand...

There was lots of water play and making new friends...always new friends every where we go...my children are always introducing and playing with other kids, running and playing and laughing, its good to see.

but there is also plenty of time for their own space when they need it, by themselves...and that's good too.
we were surrounded by beauty, as far as we could see and we took delight in spending the day in the warmth from the sun, the salty ocean (I mean Gulf) air and the sticky but soft sand beneath our toes...and with clear skies and more warm sunny days ahead of us..I see more beach days in our future as well...I am still not a beach person but the joy the beach brings along with happily, content and tired babes I'm working on changing my mind about the beach

Of course the best is when Mama pushes around a tired wee one and between the lull of the waves and the rolling along stroller she falls asleep in a sweet slumber of dreams of water, and the waves and the sand and seashells...

Naps at the beach and after the beach are the best, of course a good cup of coffee is always good (and needed) too.