The BEACH!!

We've scaled back the excitement over the past couple of days; traveling caught up with the kids and it was showing with the way they were treating each other.  Yesterday was taken up by a disastrous grocery shopping trip by bus (who takes the bus to do a large shopping trip?  We clearly weren't thinking by expecting so much out of the boys, but luckily three-hour naps in the afternoon set things on a more positive note).

I'll write more another time about grocery shopping with new brands and foods--today, though, was all about the beach!  Even though we both adore Denver, Sam and I both grew up on opposite coasts and are water lovers at heart more so than skiers.  There are two beaches in brief walking distance from our condo; as we headed out we ran into Craig, half of the awesome couple that welcomed us at their New Year's Eve party--he told us which beach to go to and walked us there, even though it was out of his way.  So nice.  

ummmmm....yes, please!!

Armed with beach umbrella, picnic lunch, towels, sunscreen and brand new boogie boards, we excitedly made our way across the soft sands of the beach and set up shop for the day.

The next hour was spent doing a whole lot of this...

Surf lifesaving in Australia is serious business; there are flags on the beach indicating permitted areas for  swimming depending on the currents; there are a number of different riptides going at any given time, and the lifeguards can spot them from the sand.

With the lighthouse and the surf, this area reminds Sam of his favorite hometown beach, Its Beach in Santa Cruz.  Miami's placid beaches are nothing like this; I enjoyed being in the water but instead of boogie boarding, my activity was Keep My Bikini Bottoms On.  This surf is not meant for two-piece bathing suits; every wave meant holding on and frantic adjusting.  My mental image of Sam searching the shore for bikini bottoms as I wait semi-discreetly out in the ocean was not far-fetched, but luckily (for all present today), it did not come to pass.  I look forward to another beach trip with more athletic attire so I can try some body surfing and boogie boarding.

I spent much of the rest of the day doing some variation of this...

...relaxing and watching as the boys continue to develop a love and appreciation for the ocean and the beach.

wearing his beloved necklace his friend Finley gave him

I like him.

In another week, the difference in skin tone between Sam and I will qualify us as an interracial couple.  He keeps getting more and more brown, while I vacillate between red and white.  Jackson took this picture of us, after making me wear his other most beloved possession, a Quiksilver hat I gave him for Christmas.  He said he was going to sleep in it tonight.

This older couple looked so fabulous, with her in her Baywatch swimsuit and him with his boogie board.  We also saw a man well into his seventies stride out in the water with a back that looked as if it was leather; he had clearly perfected his body surfing technique over many decades and expertly rode the large waves.

A nice family next to us saw me taking billions of pictures and offered to take one of us as a family.  There went my plan to blend in and not act all touristy.

I'm pretty damn sure we're going to be happy here for the year.  If only we could transport everyone else we love from back home out this way, then it would really be epic.