My folks have a timeshare down in Oceanside, and invited us to spend the weekend with them. Keep in mind this was only a week after our househunting and Independence Day extravaganza, which we were still recovering from, so we weren't sure what to expect from a weekend at the beach. We were nervous about coming back even more exhausted than before.
Well let me say, here and now, that my parents know how to do the beach. Oh yes. They do the beach well. They have one of those 10' canopy-thingies, which I really wasn't too sure about at first. I wondered if it was some form of beach snobbery with the canopy, and their plethora of lounge chairs, and spray-on sunscreen, and their massively-huge & cushy beach towels.
Which maybe it is, but even if that is the case, it is totally worth it. Judge all you want. I don't care. On Saturday Dad set up the canopy, under which he, Mom, and I each read and snoozed while listening to the pound of the surf. After napping I decided to put one of the boogie boards to good use. It was loads of beachy bliss.
As for the Cat Daddy, I think he had a breakthrough this weekend. A few weeks ago he had declared that he really didn't like the beach all that much. I wasn't sure what to make of it--I mean, he had told me of this dislike amid the beaches in our general vicinity, which aren't very pretty, and have icy-cold water, and are not really swimmable because the currents are too strong, and are best enjoyed by hardcore beach enthusiasts. I like them, but even I must admit they aren't the best beaches ever. Still, I have such fond childhood memories of the beach growing up that it was hard for me to understand an all-out dislike of all things beachy.
So when His Highness was napping indoors, it was completely understandable that the Cat Daddy willingly volunteered to nap alongside him, completely unaware of the sheer joy the folks and I were experiencing mere yards away.
After the napping, however, he did agree to go boogie-boarding with me (while His Highness had fun playing in the sand with Grandma & Grandpa). Then the next day, despite soreness of all types, he ventured out again while I stayed in & napped with His Highness. And after naptime I joined him, and he convinced me to give body surfing a try, extolling the virtues and advantages over lugging a boogie board through the water. I lasted all of 5 minutes before deciding that I didn't like body surfing one bit, and I retrieved the board from beneath the canopy (anchored anew, since beach rules dictate that one must take them down for the night).
Somewhere in there the Cat Daddy decided that all beaches are not bad. He said, "yeah, this beach is great." I gave him a knowing look on that one. And we pretty much agreed unanimously that, for optimum enjoyment, we must do the beach much like my parents. That is, with the appropriate gear and a great lack of urgency.
After swimming and kicking to exhaustion, and surprisingly little sunburn (the spray-on sunscreen is fantastic, I tell you), it was time to clean up, pack up, and head home. Just under four hours later (slightly shy of 1 am), and with aching bodies, we stumbled into the house and collapsed blissfully into bed, still with that wavy-disequilibrium-feeling.
Needless to say, we ditched church this weekend.
Since he drove us home while we snoozed, I told the Cat Daddy that I'd get up with the kiddo this morning. But THEN I managed to convince His Highness to sleep in til, like, 9:00. The Cat Daddy got up before we did, in fact.
I love that boy...
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