Beach Day!

Grandma GG and Grandpa Rus have come down for a visit and one of the first things we did was go to the beach! First time to the ocean for Rus, 2nd time for Fletcher. We got there a little later in the morning, and some rain had just finished up, leaving everything nice and cool and calm. Actually, it was very calm...the calmest my mom and I both had ever seen the ocean. You couldn't tell at what point the ocean ended and the sky started in certain points of the horizon, it was really something else. Perfect for a first time ocean goer...hardly any waves at all and no blinding sunlight! The tide was also way way way out...almost out to the end of the pier! Fletcher surveys the situation dubiously.

We set up camp on a nice soft patch of sand above the high tide mark, complete with Fletchers 'sun pod' and some nice beach chairs. Heres some pictures of the boys hanging out.

There was a great little tidepool halfway between us and the water that was prefect for Fletcher. Shallow, warm, and full of fun sand to squish in between his toes.

As is starting to become the norm, he wasn't quite sure what to make of the whole thing, but he wasn't wailing so he couldn't have thought it was too bad. Grandma GG and I took turns playing with him.

We went out and played in the surf a little bit too, jumped over a few waves and splashed around, then we let Grandpa Rus babysit for a little bit so my Mom and I could go have a proper sea swim. Just as we were getting into the water, a school of fish jumped into the air 20 feet from us and a dorsal fin was quick to follow! At first Mom and I froze, thinking there might be something unfriendly about, but the next time we saw it we realized they were dolphins! They were herding a breakfast-sized school of fish along the shore for easy eats and made a great surprise for many sea bathers.

We didn't stay out on the sand too long, as we had delicate skin to take into account, but we did have a good time and even managed a meal at an oceanfront lounge and a stroll on the pier before we left. We also managed to see 3 different fishermen catch baby sharks right in a row...so much for benign waters!

Even with the tops of his feet sunburned and bright red shins to match, Grandpa Rus had a good first visit to the beach. Fletcher did really well and had great patience with us the whole time, and Mom and I had fun getting to revisit the ocean again accompanied by such charming menfolk.