Sand

I'm late for the August posting because I was at the beach.  I was so excited about going and so involved in getting ready that I forgot.  Sorry.

Going to the beach with my female relatives on my Dad's side has become an annual tradition.  Plus or minus 15 of us rent two houses and spread ourselves between them. My niece Tracie is our travel agent and she always finds us roomy yet cozy places to stay.  We always bring way too much food and pack in more clothes than we'll ever wear and many even supplement with new outfits from the outlet stores.  Others buy clothes and gifts for their families at home. We are serious shoppers.

My sister and I always spend as much time as we want in a bookstore and revel in the lack of a timeline. My goal this year was to look at every shelf of books in the Canyon Way Book Store and Restaurant.  That was fun and easy and most enjoyable because we also brought along my niece from Madras who found her books, bought them, and then sat down to happily read while she waited for us.

Another tradition is our trip to the casino to play Bingo. I don't really like casinos because they are too noisy and smoky and seem full of people who fool themselves into thinking that they will hit the prize of a life time if they just spend $20 dollars more. But those of us in the Bingo room are content to wear our lucky hats (which we made before we came) and enjoy the contest. We don't win much but three of us won enough to cause an explosion of screaming and yelling.

Our big deal this year was our Sand Drawing Contest.  This idea had been in the works since my sister suggested it last year. We divided into two teams:  North and South.  We were split into those teams according to where we reside. My sister-in-law and I were the judges and we sat at the top of the 107 step staircase to the beach while the two teams prepared their entries.  The North team even had matching hot pink t-shirts and it was hard not to give them extra points just because they did. The South team drew a gigantic Starbucks coffee mug full of a steaming latte with a donut minus one bite on the plate next to it.  The emblem was detailed and gorgeous with the mermaid's hair steaming beautifully on the front of the mug.  Different colored sand was imported to fancy up the donut and the latte.  It was great. The North team divided their entry with a precise grid and then used the measurements to create a sea scene with a huge fish blowing blue-ish colored bubbles. The bubbles were made with shaving cream and looked awesome.

People passing us as they climbed down the stairs helped us decide the winning team.  Several paused to spend some time just  watching the artists and the whole project became an event not only for our family, but for many other beachcombers.  Fortunately, the entries were started at low tide so there was enough time to finish before the tide began to shift. Well, just barely.  The steam in the coffee mug was disappearing almost exactly when the contest was finished.

You might try this with your friends and families the next time you go to the Coast.  It is sure to put new energy into your trip and make a forever memory at the same time.