A day at the beach

Well, not a day actually, but we had the opportunity to introduce Dear Alex to the ocean - a trip to the beach, about which the dear girl had mixed feelings. She loves water, and knows her tub, and the lake and can even say "pool" to describe the turquoise water she's gotten so comfortable in. The ocean was something else, something way beyond anything she's ever seen before - it kind of blew her mind. In true Dear Alex form, she gave it a chance, then decided that it was too much. We retreated to safety of the sand, where she ended up having a good time playing.
The beach has always been important to me for so many reasons, probably because I spent so much time there when I was young - It seems that so much of what I remember from my childhood was days at the beach - it seemed endless, playing in the sand, and all I really remember is the beach. I wonder how my parents did it, how they found the time to give me the time in the sand - I can only hope that I can do as much for Dear Alex. I know it's possible, and I so suddenly understand the value of time over 'things' - If I could, I'd spend a month building sandcastles with Dear Alex, just to help her understand physics and engineering and hydrodynamics and how to have fun.

In true Dear Alex form, an hour or so after she had rejected the beach as suitable entertainment, we couldn't stop her from walking back over and over again.