Making the Most of the Dog Days of Summer

Although we live near the ocean, the water temperature doesn't often rise up or above 70 degrees.  Having grown up in the tropics in Panama, I can hardly contemplate putting a toe in the water for most of the year here in San Diego.  But, come August and September, the water finally warms up just enough that I will venture in.  Once you get adjusted to it, the water begins to feel really good, especially on some of our hottest summer days.  This year, we have been to the beach several times in the space of a few weeks and hope to go a few more times before the weather changes to fall temps.  My older 3 girls are acquiring quite a passion for boogie boarding and once they get in, it is hard to pull them back out of the water, even when their lips are blue and they are shaking like a leaf.  The younger 2 enjoy the very shallow water, the sand, and making sand castles.  There is something so wonderful and carefree about going to the ocean and taking a few hours to just kick back, relax, and detach from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  I feel so blessed to live in a place where this is possible!

The Summer Days Still Roll On!

School may have started this past week for the girls, but it is definitely still summer as far as our weather is concerned.  Just a couple of hours ago we got back home from being at the beach all afternoon.  This past week has felt like a heat wave in our neck of the woods, so spending a few hours on the coast getting wet and taking in the ocean breeze was a lovely thing.  I'm always amazed at how children can entertain themselves for hours on end at the ocean without complaints, with very little need for adult imput, and with little to no toys (such as today) available to them.  Our girls love to play in the water, get covered in sand, dig big pits in the sand, collect piles of seaweed, pile up rocks, and look for little sea creatures.  Southern California water isn't all that warm (it's in the low 70's right now and that is as good as it gets), but on a really hot day after getting over the initial shock of jumping it, it feels really great!  As I dive under the waves and swim out and bob in the water, I'm reminded of the many weekends growing up in Panama that we spent at the beach (in the same ocean, the Pacific) enjoying the pure relaxation and bliss of the sun, sand, and smells.  Then, of course, there is the grimy, sticky, gritty ride home and a nice warm shower to clean up after a long, exhausting day.  Once the girls had bathed and had a snack, they could barely muster up the energy to climb up the stairs, brush their teeth, and get into bed.  Now that's what I call entertainment - no electronics, no man-made toys of any kind - just good hard playtime.  I think that the beach can bring out some of the kid in all of us and that is why I find it so relaxing and re-invigorating.