Sand Between the Toes

Day 229:

Today Boy'O, was a perfect beach day.  Temperatures in the low 80s, bright sunshine, steady breeze, warm water, and you, Son.  Always you.  After lathering you up with plenty of SPF 50 sunscreen, loading up a cooler with lunch for all, bogging down the jogging stroller with chairs, towels, and an umbrella, and then trudging down the road a few blocks to the beach, it was time to relax.

Now, admittedly the beach has never been my very favorite thing.  I enjoy it okay, but given my preference I'd take an old wooden chair on a dock overlooking a lake.  Never the less, what I do love is the water.  I was born for it.  I love the water, Boy'O.  It was, in fact, my first love.  The older I get, the closer I'd like to be to a great big body of water.  So now here you are; my Son, my greatest love, and meeting my first love - the sea.  A truly perfect day...

It took some time but realizing you're far to small to be carried into the surf, I spent the better part of an hour blowing up a small baby pool to fill with sea water for you to play in.  Thankfully, after damn near passing out from blowing this thing up, Mommy finished the work and I went into the water to load up buckets of the warm salty Atlantic to pour into your pool... And you were in second Heaven.

We all took a nap on the beach, and it was bliss.  I laid out on the warm sand, shades on, and out I went while you snoozed away the afternoon in your stroller.  Mommy in her chair, Mom-Mom in hers, and MeMeow in hers, we all enjoyed a little quiet time on the beach.  The gulls squawked, waves crashed, breeze blew, and the bright sun to keep us warm... It'd been a long time since I've been that relaxed, Boy'O.

To follow up the beach day it was bad to the house to get showered and cleaned and then off to meet the photographer, at, you guessed it, the beach!  We took some great pictures of the whole family but of course, you Son.  The finest subject ever photographed in my opinion.

Now your Grandparents are all out to dinner, you're in bed, and here I sit in the crows nest over looking the sound getting ready to eat linguine and clams and drink a glass of wine.  A solid, solid day, Boy'O. And your first day at the beach...

I love you, Conor.
-Dad