
A view of Stinson Beach just before you arrive.
Again, sticking to our summer theme, we took a day-trip to Stinson Beach which is just north of San Francisco along Highway 1, close to Muir Woods. The drive itself took about 2 hours and is absolutely beautiful, especially when you finally get to Highway 1 and start winding along the coast and through the wooded parts. Around each corner we would see a completely spectacular view better than the one we had just saw. The weather was warm and the beach was hardly crowded so it was near perfect (if only the water was just as warm as Lake Clementine).
Tyler and Kaitlyn thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the beach. Tyler was really brave, almost TOO brave infact. The water was ice-cold and it didn’t seem to phase Tyler at all. We would both wade out into the water with him only to eventually try and convince it was time to go back in because we could no longer feel our legs. Meanwhile he was running and splashing with the water up to his chest. Maybe he’s just not afraid of getting cold and embraces it full on. This is something I need to learn myself. No further comment
Even though Kaitlyn enjoyed playing in the sand and dipping her toes in the water, she preferred being wrapped up in her blankies on the sand next to her mom. She would make a good European tourist – she just sat and stared at everyone. Occasionally she would unwrap herself from the blankets and dig in the sand or drink a capri sun.
Thank goodness we once again brought the SPF 70! Unfortunatly for myself I managed to miss a 1 inch wide strip on the right side of me and so the next day I had a red stripe which started at my armpit and extended down to my waist. It was badly burned and hurt terribly. Don’t get me started on the itching. I had also forgotten to put any sunblock on my legs which should have been one of the first places I applied – we were laying on our towels with my legs just as exposed as my chest and back. 4 weeks later and my legs and side are just now peeling and flaking! Thank goodness it wasn’t my entire back, chest, or anywhere else because just the thin stripe on my side was painful enough. I could barely sleep at night because any excessive movement would create unwanted pain.
This summer has been full of water activities. Late in July, we were invited to spend a few days at Lake Clementine with a close friend of Lindsey’s family. One of the activities we especially enjoyed was being able to climb to the top of their houseboat and jump into the clear water below – some 13-15 feet! The first day Tyler had no problems doing this by himself, however on the second day he was afraid to try it again for some reason even after I jumped reminding him of how much fun it was.
The kids also enjoyed playing in the sand as well as floating around in the surprisingly warm lake. Tyler got a huge kick out of riding around on the ski-boat because it was fast and had all sorts of gadgets of which to play. Luckily we had SPF 70 sunscreen on and walked away sunburn free which was a great thing for us all. I mention this because my history with beach/pool/lake activities consists of a lot of fun in the water and sun followed by the worst 3-4 days of my life due to a severe sunburn.
cramped up after first 3 miles and so i stopped and walked for a few minutes. This is why there are 2 records