My Favorite Beach Hour

My favorite hour at the beach is 5 o'clock and after. Most of the families with younger children are washing off their sand toys and repacking their small truckload of beach items. Very tired children are eyeing the path off the beach and back to their homes . . . at this hour of day and with their tired bodies, it looks like a daunting journey. Been there.

We have been vacationing at the same beach for 19 years and have truly loved watching our children grow up down here. Carrying the sand shovels, the castle molds, the wiffle ball bats, not to mention enough food to last the day, we were tired before we even got to the beach. My husband and I still smile and reminisce whenever we see the little kids carrying their buckets of water from the ocean to their building site. By the time they reach their destination, not much water remains. Now everyone carries their own beach necessities themselves . . . ipods, a book, and of course, football and bocce ball.

You hear the lifeguard blowing his goodnight whistle signing off for the evening. The beach patrol has already come to collect the emergency rowboat. The lifeguard turns over the big yellow stand. The beach is officially closed. By this time, our young adults have left the beach headed to the bay for more adventure.

Now it is time to really settle in and relax. Our lovely stretch of beach is always relatively quiet, but now there is the actual silence you can only hear on the beach. Waves reaching the shore, sea gulls crying for treats. Further down the beach, teenagers are chatting on the lifeguard stand. And, the now the kites come out.

At this time of day, you need to look toward the bay to follow the sun. When that little chill begins to finds its way into the air, it is time to go chase the sun to the bay to see another glorious sunset. Sunsets on the bay are just another benefit of living by the sea!