And Beaches...

We've only been here two weeks, and already we've been to the coast twice :)  The child, he really likes the beach (especially the collecting bit) and he has been quite taken with the novelty of car rides (we'll see if that bit sticks;)

I skipped out on the first beach run, wanting to get P's room unpacked and settled before too much time slipped past (we'd been here three days;).  So the kid went with Grandpapa and Ethan to some rainforest ribbed coastal spot that E described as unbelievably beautiful.  Unfortunately, there are only a few pics, so I have to take his word for it ;)  

This spot featured a lovely forest hike before hitting the beach.  Apparently, it was very muddy but very beautiful...   And then, the coast.

Bryan, on the beach.

The tidal timing was not to the child's liking. He reported there was not enough collecting to satiate his needs ;)  Nevertheless, he said he "had a ball" :)   Is there anything more wonderful than the sensory superstar sand???

Then, this weekend, when I should have been unpacking other rooms... we decided to zoom to the beach again.  One must prioritize :)

I was impressed that the kid was happy to simply chill in his booster seat for the hour and a half ride.  Granted, its a gorgeous drive.  Hills of green and fields of bright red or popping yellow give way to towering pines as you climb over the low mountains on the way west.  Out the window is a wall of green; ferns, moss covered trunks, sky high trees.  The road narrows and the trees practically touch over the top of the car (which has always meant "vacation" to E and I.  We are getting a great big kick out of the idea that this is actually "home" and not just a week's jaunt:).  The Little Man looked and looked and proclaimed favorite turns, trees or cloud shapes :)

We picked a new beach, somewhere close to someplace called "Gearheart."  It wasn't planned, it just looked like a good turn-off :) The child ran through the dunes to the ocean.  Just a wee bit excited...

With collecting pail.  That was quickly filled.  Thrice over.

A very happy collector.  

There were fabulous structures strewn down the beach.  We didn't snap pics of any of the others, but they were pretty impressive (think drift-wood houses the child could climb into.)  This artfully demarcated hole made P very happy.

Then it was time to grab dinner.  Future, better planned beach runs will feature full picnics, but this one featured a lucky find of fabulous soup.  Which was nice after a windy spring afternoon.

But E's entire hope hinged on a sunset.  He had hoped for it since we hopped in the car earlier in the day and as dinner dragged, he figured we were going to miss our mark.  Still slightly hopeful, we jumped back into the car, zoomed to the awesome beach access (that allows you to drive right onto the beach!!!) and pulled up to the tide, just as the sun slid through its final descent.  Yay!!!  The kid was impressed by how quickly it slipped away in its last moments.  And then he was over it and all about his fabulous crab finds.

So we hung in the car, watching the sunset finish (errr, playing with crab shells), while E stood transfixed by his happy sunset.  As we drove away, we were all silly satisfied with our day.  Getting to drive home under the shadows of the trees looming overhead as the child peacefully zonked in the back was almost too good of an ending to be true.