I've mentioned many times that our favorite place to get outdoors here is the Ipswich River Audubon Sanctuary. Our second favorite place is the Crane Estate and Crane Beach. Both are part of the former estate of the Crane plumbing fixture family but are now owned by the Trustees of Reservations, a non-profit group that owns a lot of historic sites and open spaces.
This year we joined the Trustees, and we also bought a Crane Beach parking sticker that gives us unlimited access to the beach (space permitting - on summer weekends the parking lot fills by 10:30 or so). We have been to the beach several times in the winter and spring but we hadn't used the beach sticker yet this summer due to Seattle travel and other activities. On Saturday we finally had a "beach day".
A whole day at the beach was a new concept to us when we moved here. In the Pacific Northwest the 45-50 degree water is too cold for swimming so you go to the beach for an hour or two and then go somewhere warmer! But here you make a day of it. You bring an encampment with you: umbrella(s), chairs, cooler, blanket, food, sand toys, etc. Along with a "beach buggy" to transport it all.
We arrived at the beach at 10:45 am. The parking lot was only about 25% full on this day, perhaps because there were some clouds and a forecast of thunderstorms later in the day. We staked our claim and hit the water, which is about 65 degrees. It felt cold at first, but after a few minutes I could get pretty used to it and stay in for a long time. The girls built sand castles and tunnels and chased seagulls. I napped. We all ate food we brought plus treats from the snack bar. The beach got pretty full. I went swimming 5 or 6 times with the girls.
About 4:00 Carol and I first talked about when we should leave and the consensus was "not any time soon." We finally packed up around 6:00 and we had to drag the girls away. We all had a blast. And none of us got sunburned!
This year we joined the Trustees, and we also bought a Crane Beach parking sticker that gives us unlimited access to the beach (space permitting - on summer weekends the parking lot fills by 10:30 or so). We have been to the beach several times in the winter and spring but we hadn't used the beach sticker yet this summer due to Seattle travel and other activities. On Saturday we finally had a "beach day".
A whole day at the beach was a new concept to us when we moved here. In the Pacific Northwest the 45-50 degree water is too cold for swimming so you go to the beach for an hour or two and then go somewhere warmer! But here you make a day of it. You bring an encampment with you: umbrella(s), chairs, cooler, blanket, food, sand toys, etc. Along with a "beach buggy" to transport it all.
We arrived at the beach at 10:45 am. The parking lot was only about 25% full on this day, perhaps because there were some clouds and a forecast of thunderstorms later in the day. We staked our claim and hit the water, which is about 65 degrees. It felt cold at first, but after a few minutes I could get pretty used to it and stay in for a long time. The girls built sand castles and tunnels and chased seagulls. I napped. We all ate food we brought plus treats from the snack bar. The beach got pretty full. I went swimming 5 or 6 times with the girls.
About 4:00 Carol and I first talked about when we should leave and the consensus was "not any time soon." We finally packed up around 6:00 and we had to drag the girls away. We all had a blast. And none of us got sunburned!
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