Wow! Here it is Friday and our annual family beach vacation is soon coming to a close, but I've been so busy enjoying this special time that Ive been lax on my gallivanting updates.
Our drive on Saturday was quite pleasant and we somehow managed to avoid the insane backup onto the island that we’ve experienced in years past. That meant waiting for the cleaners to leave, but once they pulled out of the drive, you can bet it didn’t take long to get unpacked, settled, and even enjoy some time on the beach.
You can tell by this photo, that the week was going to be loads of fun!
After dinner, we headed out to the beach.
what began as a test of the toes
led to checking out the waves
to full submersion. And let me say....that water was COLD!
Marty and I opted to skip that part and stay dry.
Sunday was hot hot hot...not what we expected, but the kids sure had a grand time enjoying the ocean.
Monday was a complete flip....cold with a strong wind that resulted in a red flag day. That meant no swimming in the ocean. But you know this crew.....there's always fun to be had.
This guy was all set to help his uncle James build a fort
Mission accomplished!
After the waves lapped over the sand and destroyed the structure, we opted to head up to the house as the winds were brutal, and the house had a nice cozy hot tub to enjoy. Well....it wasn't actually that cozy. 98 degrees when we got in, which somehow dropped to 94 in short time. But it was still relaxing.
Afterwards, there was this game involving fish that Jim wanted to play. You can bet Marty was pretty excited about this.
It took me awhile to catch on, but I'm fairly certain that I was ahead of the game when we had to quit for dinner. Just saying.
The evening offered some entertainment.
Joshua designed a music trivia game for us all to enjoy. Team Amy and Maddie took the prize!
Tuesday looked promising, despite yellow flags flying. We noticed lots of clear floaty creatures bobbing in the surf, but didn't pay them much mind as the kids weren't in the surf anyway.
They occupied themselves with some fort building
and sand creations.
Maddie was the creative artist. Here you see Parker as a squid.
And that's Joshua under that creation but don't ask me what he is.
We proved that we didn't need to be in the water to enjoy the surrounds.
After dinner entertainment was karaoke, and believe me, there were a lot of giggles.
The whole gang was on the dance floor!
Honestly....could you ask for more fun that that?
Wednesday brought a bit of a surprise. Remember those clear floaty blobs? It turns out that they were salps, which are gelatinous zooplankton. The surf had deposited a layer of them on top of the sand, en masse, right in front of the beach house we were renting.
They are harmless to humans. Unless, of course, you downplay the effect of the horrendous odor that invades your nasal passages when even the slightest breeze sends the stench your way. We managed to endure the stink, but when we read it could take a week to dissipate, we were a bit disheartened as it felt like we were immersed in an extremely stinky trash can....or worse.
The ocean became our refuge. The surf had calmed and the waves were welcomed.
When it was obvious that we'd be subject to the stink for the rest of our trip, one of our crew stepped up to start scraping off the muck. It seemed an insurmountable task.
Before we knew it, we had a shoveling crew helping to remove the massive amounts of salp into the ocean in the hopes of containing the odor.
The air calmed down enough for Maddie to create these two starfish.
Aren't they cute?
Thursday and Friday were hot, stinky, and suddenly filled with flies. That happens with the winds blow from the shore rather than the ocean. But we didn't let that dampen our spirits as you can see by this lively crew.
We simply figured out that time under the tent would be brutal, so why not relocate?
And there was always the pool for entertainment. It was cool and not stinky!
Mornings once again involved baking with Gramma G. Although my role at this point is pretty much supervisor.
Didn't they do an amazing job?
Fishing was a bust. However, there was the excitement of a sea turtle surprising all by emerging from the ocean to lay its eggs.
Marty was on hand to get the close up photos when the environmental crew arrived to check on the event. They explained that they look for those tracks from the ocean to spot the nest. Pretty amazing, don't you think?
Finally, we had the excitement of Parker's 7th birthday!
That was the final event of the week, and certainly a happy one for this little guy.
Afterwards, it was time to clean and pack up as we all head out early in the morning.
The week certainly zoomed by quickly. Before I go, let me share some photos of our beautiful grandchildren.
Another fabulous week for the books!
Until next time....
Evenings were equally entertaining with a music quiz night created and MC’d by our grandson Joshua.
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