My love for the beach has been well-documented on this blog, so I'll refrain from the usual verbosity here. I just want to record some of the wonderful memories we made when we visited a lovely beach on South Carolina's coast during the kids' fall break in mid-October.
The weather was spectacular the entire four days we were there. Beautiful cool mornings gave way to warm, sunny days. It was a peaceful, relaxing, much-appreciated time to both slow down and have some fun.
Because we were well into the fall season (even though we are in the south), the water was too cold for sane people to swim.
Smart people stayed on the warm sand and enjoyed things like walking, relaxing, building sandcastles, reading, sunning, and snacking.
A highlight activity of our trip was biking. This is something that we'd hoped to enjoy as a family for a while now, and it was such fun to share this activity with the kids.
Our rides took us through neighborhoods and quiet streets, near a small airport, and along the main drag through town--all just a stone's throw from the beach.
We especially enjoyed the rides that took us to mealtime destinations...both breakfast and lunch.
Yummy hot chocolate after a slightly chilly morning ride
And delicious brick-oven pizza after a 20 minute jaunt through the city streets
Our fearless leader (wearing his "you are the best daddy in the world" necklace from Madison)
Our very first biking expedition took us to lunch at a very nice, open air market. And, back by popular (Powers kids) demand, we dined on the water at Joe's Crab Shack. The food was actually quite good--fresh seafood and all the brown paper towels you can get--but the entertainment was even better. No, since we were there in the middle of the day, we didn't get treated to the hourly dance by the servers. Instead, we delighted in our girls' creativity and freedom with the bibs we were given with our crab plates. Who knew that those flimsy pieces of plastic could transform you into dancing, flying, smiling superheroes?
Such fun!
A surprising freedom that my husband and I have enjoyed as our children have gotten a bit older has been the opportunity to take early morning walks on the beach. We leave them a note and a cell phone, take the other phone with us, lock 'em in the condo, and keep our walking radius within about 7-8 minutes. Most mornings, the kids slept right through, and my husband and I got not only the gift of a glorious sunrise, but also an hour of brisk walking and much-needed talking. What a gift...
Mingled with the joy of this vacation time for our family was the realization that this was the last beach trip we'd enjoy for a long time. While I don't think it dampened our fun, I think it did help us to relish our time there all the more.
One of my goals (I know, I shouldn't have "goals" on vacation, but it is what it is) on this trip was to get a nice family picture. Armed with little more than a tripod, my basic point and shoot camera, and a whole lot of enthusiasm, we set out one evening as the sun started to set.
I won't soon forget the challenges inherent in getting five people with five strong personalities and a whole bunch of distractibility to sit still and smile pretty for the camera. My little Caroline led the charge of people-wanting-to-quit-before-we-even-started. Somehow, however, when it was me (and not the 10 second timer on the camera) taking the picture, she was capable of results like this sweetness:
And those boys were able to produce smiles this great:
And my loving Madison even captured one of us that I really liked:
In the end, we did get a couple of decent shots, but it taught me a lesson that I learn over and over as a parent: my well-intended plans are no match for my children's moods and needs and desires. Unless it is a matter of life or death, I need to make some space for their wishes as well as mine. Learning flexibility and patience is an ongoing journey for this mommy.
And just a glimpse at what happened when the pressure to force a smile was gone, and the true spirit of these kiddos had a chance to shine.
A spontaneous show of affection
And an oft-witnessed scene these days--Madison in full, energized, bouncy cartwheel form :)
WIthout a doubt, there's a whole lotta joy in this gang...
It was a great time. We loved the fun, the discoveries, and the chance to enjoy lots of new activities.
And of course, sometimes the very best activity was no activity at all...
Have I mentioned how very much I love the beach?
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