My Summer Part 3

Every year since the year after I was born, my family has gone to the coast. Now that the kids are grown up (and some have kids of their own) it is kind of our family reunion. There are years that some people can't make it, and some years we even have extra visitors or friends who stay at the same place at the same time. The ocean vacation is the most relaxing vacation I can think of. There are miles of beach in either direction for walking, the units are relatively quiet (you can hear footsteps overhead sometimes), and I usually manage to read several books during the week and work on a puzzle.


In recent years we have started a new tradition - the sandcastle. The sandcastles through the years have always been impressive. The mammoth structures take several adults most of a day to build. Honestly, most of that time is spent creating a gigantic pile of sand. Then the artists go to work, creating a design with turrets, stairways, windows, and anything else they feel like. This year's sandcastle was a "princess castle" in honor of my niece's birthday and her favorite preoccupation.


Some of us crazy people even try swimming in the ocean. It is numbingly cold, but lots of fun. Afterwards we all try to warm up in the sunshine.



We picked the perfect night for our campfire on the beach this year. The ocean breeze died down just in time for our fire, so the only hot dogs and marshmallows that were covered in sand were the ones my mom dropped off her roasting stick. The fire burned bright, hot and fast; my little brother saved the day by driving off to get an extra bundle of wood because it was burning so fast. We played a few rounds of charades as the night got darker, and then we put out the fire and headed back inside.