Family Beach Trip 2011

This past weekend we took our annual family beach trip. This is a trip that we all look forward to all year long, and this year was definitely no exception.

We were loaded up and ready to go so we could leave first thing Friday morning. We were on the road by 9 and right after lunchtime, we were on the beach in Port A. We were so excited to get there, we literally pulled up on the beach, jumped out of the car and all ran for the water!

The beach was more beautiful than I have ever seen it, and I've been going to Port A since I was a kid. There wasn't a trace a seaweed and the water was more and clear and beautiful than ever. (Much unlike last year, where everything was covered in seaweed and the water was murky.)

For the last couple of years, Deeda has dragged the toy-hauler down so we'd have a place to get in out of the heat and the sand. This year, he really upped the ante with a great set-up, which we all loved. (I can't believe I didn't take pics!) Anyway, they had the camper set up about 75 feet from the water, had the awning out and had a huge tent set up so that none of us was without shade for the whole weekend. It was wonderful.

If we thought Jack was a different kid in the water last year, we didn't know anything yet. This year, we couldn't keep him out of the water. He's still fearless and this year, he didn't need anyone to go in the water with him, he'd just take off on his own. He also loved "surfing" this year and spent quite a bit of time on the boogie board, running and jumping with it, being pulled on it, and even going way out into the deep water with the rest of us.


Nana and Deeda picked their campsite because of this spot here that had already been dug out for sandcastle building. Deeda even set up a big umbrella right over the top of it so Jack wouldn't be subjected to the sun while he dug and built castles. Jack even managed to get Aunt Nikki and Uncle Hank in on the action the next day, and they built a whole little village with castles and a volcano!

But like I said, he was never away from the water for long...





No beach trip is complete without a swarm of seagulls. I have pictures exactly like this from every year we've been to the beach, and I just love that it's as fascinating as ever to Jack to feed the birds.

As with every year, we hit the shops on Sunday before we leave Port A so Nana can get Jack a "souvenir". Every year, he chooses some form of plastic fish. We have a collection of dolphins and sharks here at the house. He never tires of them, so I guess they're a good choice.

This year we encountered something we've never seen there before though! The Parrot Man is always outside the Islander, but this year, next door, there was a man with a monkey! Ten bucks later and Jack was getting up close and personal with a monkey. (Of course, he refused to go without me.)
It's funny, Jack kept trying to reach around and touch her, and she didn't like it at all. She kept pushing his hand away from her, and her owner kept telling Jack "don't grab her!" I bet he has some experience with her getting upset with little ones...funny.

When we were done, Jack paid the monkey for her time. (She was really cute, she took all the money from the patrons and handed it to the man to put away.)
We all kind of go our separate ways on Sunday since we all drive down on our own, and this year, I had plans to take the boys to see the Lex. I knew Jack would love it, and I had a sneaking suspicion that Daddy C would love it even more.
I wasn't wrong.
I think Jack's favorite part of the ship was the Brig. Once we showed it to him, it was all he wanted to do, and when we left that area, he asked over and over to go back to the Brig.
As I said, I knew Chris would enjoy this.

Jack really loved the ship. I'm not sure he realized we were on a ship, but he still really like going through all the compartments, seeing all the different gadgets and areas, and climbing all the ladders.

My favorite part of the Lex was the Captain's Quarters. I told Chris if I were going to be on a ship, it'd have to be as Captain. I wouldn't ever be able to stand the small spaces. The Cpt's Quarters were huge.
Most people know that Chris is a HUGE WWII buff, and the Lex was stationed in Pacific during the conflict. Everything is really well preserved and it's all fascinating to see.
The planes are up on the flight deck, of course, so I knew the boys were eager to get to that area and look around.


This thing freaked me out. Not much really scares me, but this "plank" is what catches the catapult equipment after the planes take off. On the Lex, they've made it a photo op and call it "Walking the Plank". The scary part is that it hangs WAY off the back of the ship over the water. I only made it about a fourth of the way out before I hurried back onto the ship. (The really shocking thing is to think that when these aircraft carriers are at sea, the protective fence around the perimeter of the ship doesn't exist. YIKES!)

The boys, however, loved it.
After that we headed up to the control rooms to sit in the captains chair and check it all out.


And then back the the Brig.
After that, we took advantage of the little photo ops before we headed to the Ship Store to get Jack a ship of his own.


Once again, it was such a wonderful trip and too short, as usual. I'm already looking forward to next year's trip!