Best Beach Vacation Ever

What a lovely time on the coast we had.  We got home this afternoon, but I still feel the slight tingle of sunburn on my nose, my shoes still have a sprinkling sand inside, and of course there's the tell-tale pile of sandy laundry upstairs on the laundry room floor.  I'll worry about that tomorrow.  I figure today is still a vacation day and now that I've unpacked, I am going to just savor the lovely week. 

There's something so inviting about seeing a path that disappears over the hill, with a glimpse of the ocean beyond, isn't  there?  I took lots of pictures like this .... I just couldn't help myself.

We walked the loop that went from the house, to the edge of the bluff, along the bluff, and then back several times a day -- to give Gemma a chance to run and for us to enjoy the gorgeous scenery.

I still can't get over the luxury of the long empty stretch of beach below the house.  If I were a runner, I'd have run there... but I'm not, so I didn't.

I did walk a lot, though.  We were told that if we started at "our' beach, it'd be six miles along open, flat sand like that all the way to the lighthouse at Point Arena.  We never did walk the whole way.  Maybe next time.

 We were also told that the lighthouse point at Point Arena is the closet point to Hawaii in the continental United States.  Aloha!

And of course, there was lots of digging and general sand play.

Both of "the kids" had a grand time.

Some fancy camera play, too.  (This isn't Photoshopped.  This is a real, live action shot.)

 One afternoon, it was so wildly blustery that sitting outside was like sitting in the middle of a typhoon.  While the rest of the family napped in the house, I created my own sun room by taking the the car to the crest of the hill, opening the sunroof, cracking the windows.  It was a lovely reading and viewing spot.

But when we weren't out wandering, we spent a lot of time right here.  It was the perfect spot for morning coffee and after-dinner wildlife and bird watching.

It was just what a summer vacation at the beach should be.