It really feels like the end of summer.  Matthew will be attending a electronic music festival until Sunday and then Tuesday we begin teaching for the Fall semester, so we wanted to get a last “summer day” in there.  The answer: the beach.  This was the first time at the beach all summer for me, and it was a good day of just plain ol relaxing. 

Taking the subway out about 90 minutes will get you to Rockaway Beach which is our favorite NYC beach.  Upon getting there, we knew we would need some shade to survive, so we were going to rent a beach umbrella to lay under and read for hours (my Kindle is amazing for reading in the sun).  Surprisingly to buy a beach umbrella cost about the same thing we expected to pay to rent one, so we now own a neon pink beach umbrella!

The funny thing is that we weren’t really equipped to get a umbrella into the sand so when we first put it in, it immediately came out and blew down the beach.  As I ran after the umbrella trying to catch it but always missing it by arm lengths, children shouted to their parents to look at the girl chasing after her umbrella.  It was just one of those experiences… Finally I caught it!

Then we began the afternoon which always starts with attending sunscreen crazily all over.  This reminds me of how I used to look as a kid when my dad applied sunscreen to me except he never really rubbed it in. I have pictures for proof.  Thanks Dad.

Then it was lunch time, and I was starving for my first meal of the day.  We picked up deli sandwiches on the way.  I was a little “eh” about  my orange cheese, but it was pretty good to be honest.

The real winner of the day were these pretzel crisps.  Have you tried them? You need to, immediately.  You should stop reading right now and go buy some!

I forgot how good it feels to just bury your feet in sand and do nothing but close your eyes. 

Matthew didn’t go into the ocean, but I sure did.. many times! I forgot how fun it is to just let the waves knock you down, and then try to catch one to swim in.  It brought me back to my childhood vacations spent at the beach, I would play in those waves for hours everyday while covered in sunscreen. 

Thanks for the good day beach! Next summer, we’ll be sure to spend more lazy days there..

We’ll bring along our umbrella too!