I love to get away from it all, even when I have to bring it with me.
We just got back from our last family getaway before school starts back up in a few weeks. We took the RV down to Coronado’s Silver Strand Beach where we could “drop the ramp” in the sand and the kids can run & play at the beach for 4 days.
I didn’t realize it at the time we booked it (we had to reserve the spot on January 1st!). but it coincided almost to the day with the launch of The Naked Truth. No worries though – we made it work!
There’s something incredibly rewarding about spending days at the beach, taking morning walks with the boys and just spending time together as a family. Then in the evenings to warm up by the campfire (yeah, that’s an old washing machine tub – the ultimate redneck fire pit!) and roast marshmallows, tell jokes, and share stories of global world conquest (okay, kidding on the last part).
We had some friends come visit for a day, and generally just relaxed. The water was unseasonably warm so no wetsuit required.
One of our favorite things is taking family walks early in the morning. We go in search of sand dollars, and usually come back with a bucket full of random shells, a few sand dollars, and – if we’re lucky – a few live clams.
There was an extreme low tide while we were there and the giant clams were everywhere. Unfortunately the low tide was at like 3am in the morning and we were all watching our eyelids at that point, but when we got up we saw the bounty that some of our camp-mates had gathered. I’m talking DOZENS of clams – at lest 4 1/2″ across. Big puppies!
I used to think RV camping was lame – but that was before we bought our Weekend Warrior a few years ago. Now we head out whenever we can. Whether it’s to the beach or hauling the quads and the Jeep out to the desert for some high-octane fun. And as much as I complain about how much work it is to pack up (trust me, you wouldn’t want to be around me when we’re loading up!), and what a pain it is to drive, once we get where we’re going… It’s always worth it.
The boys fight with each other less and work together more. Julie & I have a chance to spend quiet time with each other, and love on the kids. It all works out great.
Tucker & Brock inevitably decide to feed their snacks to the seagulls which draws a huge flock of birds around them – and plenty of bird poop… yuck!
But before too long it’s time to pack up again and head home, unpack, do laundry, get ready for another week ahead and all that “daily grind” stuff. But the memories and photos will last a lifetime, and hopefully the boys will look back on these vacations with fond memories.
One thing I’m still trying to figure out though – and I’ve grappled with this from when I was a kid – why does chocolate taste SO GOOD after a day in the surf? I mean really, can anyone explain that? It may seem like a random way to wrap up this blog post (because it is)… but seriously… why?
more soon.
