« the purse | Main | etsy shop »
July 22, 2006
idealistic us
spending all day saturday in preparation for our trip, we left chattanooga sunday morning anticipating the sound of the waves and sand in our toes. the trip to grayton beach, florida was expected to take around eight hours, and we were surprised to find ourselves there ahead of schedule. traveling with three small children in a crowded van for several hours is quite a lofty endeavor. we did make it, however, and i somehow managed to hold onto my sanity.
upon arrival, we faced the task of setting up camp (yes, the plan was to camp out for three nights in this beautiful yet hot, mosquito infested spot). the boys soon discovered a water faucet that turned the ashy rock surrounding our campsite into small flowing rivers. they began constructing dams and attempted to avoid the pesky two-year-old that was set on destroying their creations. fighting ensued, but mark and i were somehow able to set up camp.
next, we headed out to the beach that lay right beyond the beautifully preserved sand dunes. evenings on the beach seem serene to me. the threat of those piercing rays de-intensifies, the shore empties of sun bathers, and eventually the sky blazes with the amazing colors of the sunset. we played, we rested, we searched for hermit crabs, we played soccer, and laughed at our littlest guy intent on stripping off his sandy duds to run freely in the buff. we have one shot of him grabbing a bag of chips and running off into the sunset without anything on.
that night was a bit of a disaster with whining children fighting in a sweltering hot tent and mosquitoes on the prowl as mark and i attempted to relax and enjoy the evening...
after purchasing a body board for aidan to try out, we spent several hours of the next day enjoying the ocean. it amazed me how fearless my five-year-old can be. intent on learning how to use his flame covered board correctly, he ran into the water. i saw him knocked on his backside several times with a mouth full of salt water. he would then collect himself and face the next wave with determination. mark enjoyed time helping aidan and carrying ollie into the water. abel preferred to stay on shore running and jumping over waves that rushed in.
we opted to spend the next night in a nicely air conditioned hotel room in destin and took a few more trips to the beach before returning home. overall, it was nice to see the boys enjoying the water, and we will be sure to plan another trip to the beach next year. the tent, however, will not be coming with us...
| By cooleys | 02:38 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://chattablogs.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/33065
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference idealistic us:
