Sand Tastes... Oh, So Good

The sun was dying behind the steel and brick towers placed amongst the dunes like guardians over the endless stretch of sand. As the waves rolled out across our feet and the sand slowly swallowed our toes, our eyes took in the never ending sky, resting above the water and scattering the clouds to capture the final rays of light left above the Earth. The ocean was calm, ready to join the sun in settling down. It's at this time that we remember our motivation for being here. Paul walks out bravely into the water, unafraid, as it rises up above his knees and surrounds him on all sides. He reaches his hands out, his tiny fingers dipping into the swirling tide as it carrys the broken shells up from the depths to abandon them upon the shore. And then he falls... not just on his butt, but all the way into the water. Covered in salt and clumps of ocean mud, he waddles his bare feet out of the waves and puts a sand covered hand into his mouth. His mother informs me, "We didn't bring a towel."

Shortly thereafter, Paul learned that nothing tastes better on the last day of July than a sandy vanilla cone, and nothing makes more of a mess in our car.