Sandy Imprints

We had everything we needed: beach umbrella check, beach chairs check, cooler filled with yummy necessities check, beach towels, block and sunglasses, check, check and check plus. With our proverbial checklist complete we put the car in gear and headed for Coligny Beach. Pierce was charged with energy provided by the sandy shorelines, the calm breeze, the warm waters and the feel good vibe of the surrounding beach goers.

After I clumsily staked our umbrella and Ashleigh unfolded the chairs, Pierce and I headed for the water. As it turns out, Pierce seems to have a natural affinity for water. He took to his swim "lessons" earlier this year well and I was excited to see his fearlessness applied to this more formidable swimming pool. The only words he says with regularity are Ma and Da but he does have an impressive grasp of the "babble." Pierce babbled as we splashed and kicked our way along the edge of the breaking water. When he got tired of walking or curious at the sand beneath our toes, he sat down and I followed suit.

Pierce sat between my legs for what seemed like an hour but was probably only 15 minutes. We played in the soupy sand, the salt water surged past us momentarily but was pulled back seconds later by the under current, sucking the sand around our legs and thighs. I would reach around and kiss him on his torso and cheeks until he giggled the way only your child can. The most challenging task I found myself dealing with was preventing him from eating the sand.

After we cleaned up and Mamma gave us a snack under a blanket of shade provided by our umbrella, it was time for Ma and P to construct their first sand castle. Pierce carried over his excitement for knocking things over (learned I'm sure from Nana and her block towers), to toppling Ash's walls. If she constructed one, she constructed ten. Two perpendicular walls and a moat (from Pierce) strategically placed inside the two walls were all that was achieved. The three of us walked and played in the serf after Pierce's apprenticeship concluded.

I hope I always remember picking up my one year old Pierce after he licked a palm full of sand and then looking down at the outline of our tookuses just before the ocean covered them up. Like many other families, we left our imprints in the sand today and the waves quickly washed them away. What cannot be washed away is the time that we spent together, the laughs that we shared and the adventures we had on our first family vacation.

My experiences are new to me, the lessons learned are probably not new to you. Most of the time, I'm just working out in my head, what the Silver and Black Lining is.