Summer to me is always the best part of the year. No school for the kids and the beach just begging you to come and visit.

…and linger.

It is – however – much easier to look at the beautiful, fun-loving and sandy pictures of families and their vacation, than it is to live that week or two at the shore (“at the beach” – depending on what you call it based on where you live.) Dragging kids from the water, covered in sand, sunburned, over tired and hungrier than they ever could be on a normal day.

Still. We do it.Year after year after year.

…and we love it.

Every summer, we had to spend at least a few days, if not an entire week or two at the beach…somewhere. Most often it was in New Jersey *at the shore* or, in Florida, the Outer Banks (OBX), Virginia Beach…anywhere that would allow you to walk for hours, jump waves, body surf, collect seashells, read a book (or magazine) and sleep late.

…and get up early at least once for the sunrise.

Visits to the Pacific, even the northwest, even in fall or winter, also demands a “toes in the sand” moment. So, I have walked barefoot on the beaches in California – southern and northern, Washington State and fortunately on several varied locations on the Hawaiian Islands.  Chicago has a beach – with waves – the one mid-west city I could consider if the winters were not so cold. The water there in April is colder than any other place I’ve been, except Cork, Ireland in May.

I do know that I have gotten my love of the water from my parents – and my husband’s parents were the same influence on him – if not somehow more dedicated to the walk on the beach no matter the weather.

…and we have had our moments of hurricanes, snow, and thunderstorms along with many, many sunny beautiful beach days.

I’ve missed spending enough time there so far this year, but we will be back; in our house, it follows generation after generation, where the kids and the beach just go together.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl