Beaches

There have been some years when summer comes to an end and we realize we didn't go to the beach nearly enough. This was not one of those years! We went quite a bit - either with the whole family or just me and the kids or with cousins and friends. 

We went to lots of different beaches, too. We used to mostly go to Hearst Beach, which has very small waves and excellent weather - perfect for little kids. The problem is now the big kids just want to boogie board, so we had to find beaches with big waves.  

Some of their favorite waves are at Morro Bay (which is why there are always a bunch of surfers there). Then we love to buy our favorite salt water taffy afterwards. It's handmade, and it's the best!! 

Funny kids! They don't even bother with wet suits anymore - it takes too long to get them on/off, and they don't think the water is that cold. Actually, the water is warmer. It's an el nino year, yay!!! Bring on the rain!!

One reason I've liked going to the beach better recently is that the kids carry all the stuff! I don't have to carry anything! I love having big kids.

And we don't have little babies or toddlers, so everyone is self-entertaining and happy - no crying about being cold. These two are totally content to play in the sand and chase birds. 

It never gets old.

We even ventured all the way down to Grover Beach. That's where Spencer finished the kayak trip, and he really liked the waves. 

They found this cool sting ray there.

Two very good friends moved away this summer (boo!), and we had a couple of farewell trips to the beach with them. 

This is Cayucos, which we don't go to very often. I told the kids that next summer we should try to hit all the beaches in the county at least once. They liked that idea.

It's always fun to watch kite surfers.

This was the day after Spencer got his braces. He was feeling pretty sore! He just got them tightened last week, and he feels icky again. He started questioning whether he really needed the stupid things, and then we looked at some old pictures and couldn't believe how crooked his teeth used to be. They sure do work fast! Three months down, nine to go!

         Our friends tell us they'll be back to visit because they love these beaches. I sure hope so!

Actually my friend Nancy has already been back a couple of times. They invited a bunch of us to join them for a bon fire. It was a beautiful sunset!

What a great way to end the summer!