Sunday we took advantage of the return of summer weather by going to the beach, specifically Virginia Beach's Little Island Park. A sweet gem of a beach that is south of all the bustle and lights of Virginia Beach proper.
I found out it's existence when taking Rebecca to her soccer game over in Chesapeake. Since we were so close to the ocean I thought it would be nice to go to the beach after her game. I did a little searching online the night before and found Little Island Park. Sadly she had too much homework, so we headed straight home, but I took note of the beach for a possible future trip. Larry liked the idea and we looked at our calendar for an open date. The earliest we could go turned out to be Oct. 6th.
The weather cooled and it looked a bit doubtful, but as luck would have it summer came back. The warm weather was forecasted to extend to Sunday, so we made our plans and told the kids on Saturday. Jacob begged off, he had plans with friends. This was no surprise as he is not a huge fan of the whole beach thing. Nate too wanted to stay home, he had homework to finish. We almost lost Max and Rebecca, but we convinced them to go. It was going to be a nice trip for just the four of us.
And it was a perfect day to go to the beach. It was warm with a good breeze, the beach wasn't crowded, and best of all the ocean was a lovely temperature to swim in. Around here October is a wonderful time to go to the beach. It's off season so the traffic and parking issues of high summer are nonexistent. Yet the ocean is still warm and you can still get the odd hot spell that makes it all perfect.
It was a lovely last bit of summer.
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Lazy Days of Summer
School starts all too soon and I want to know where our summer went. Between traveling, various sports camps, and appointments our summer break has flown by.
The closest I've gotten to the so called lazy days of summer was when we were up north. Even then we were busy exploring places such as mt childhood haunts. Pictured here is one of my favorite spots, the Union Village Dam.
The kids at first didn't believe me when I told them I would swim there. They soon learned that I was right as we moseyed upstream to my favorite swimming hole.
That was a good lazy day.
The closest I've gotten to the so called lazy days of summer was when we were up north. Even then we were busy exploring places such as mt childhood haunts. Pictured here is one of my favorite spots, the Union Village Dam.
The kids at first didn't believe me when I told them I would swim there. They soon learned that I was right as we moseyed upstream to my favorite swimming hole.
That was a good lazy day.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Project MCP: Favorite Summer Activity
The fourth and final challenge from Project MCP for July is "Favorite Summer Activity."
This challenge was a no brainer for me. I love going to the beach and playing in the surf. I could spend hours playing in the waves. This picture of Max with his father I think shows this activity very well.
Even with his eyes tightly closed, Max is smiling away. I am so pleased that I got this shot. The froth of the surf, his head just barely above it all, and a strong arm from daddy makes a wonderful moment in time.
This to me is summer.
This challenge was a no brainer for me. I love going to the beach and playing in the surf. I could spend hours playing in the waves. This picture of Max with his father I think shows this activity very well.
Even with his eyes tightly closed, Max is smiling away. I am so pleased that I got this shot. The froth of the surf, his head just barely above it all, and a strong arm from daddy makes a wonderful moment in time.
This to me is summer.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Artist of the Week: Sand Castle
The artist, or rather artists, of the week are Jake, Nate, Max, and Rebecca. It was a real pleasure watching all four of them working so well together during our entire time on the beach. They were very happy to help each other build various structures in the resulting sprawling complexes they created.
In the top picture you can see all four working away with the Lost Pearl in the background. I couldn't resist taking this picture of the pirate party boat in the background. It gives the fortification a little more meaning.
In the next picture, featuring Miss Rebecca, there is a close up picture of one of the many bridges. The kids found the sand to be ideal for building all sorts of ambitious structures. No internal drift wood supports were needed. The sand was just wet enough to hold together and form almost any shape. They didn't need buckets of water to keep the structure from crumbling away. The biggest threat was stray toddlers (of which there were mercifully few with the notable except of two cuties that were well corralled by their doting father) and the advancing surf.
The kids were careful to erect the main body of their fort high enough on the wash to lessened the danger of advancing waves, but not where the sand was too dry to stick together.
In the third picture you can see Nate and Rebecca working on the details of the fort. They discovered that the sand could hold a squared edge and as a result they made small houses throughout the structure. Near Nate you can also see a few more of the bridges. Nate was the main bridge builder and was in fact the one to request documentation of their efforts.
Anyhoodle as you can see the whole thing did sprawl out over a large area. The beach wasn't terribly crowded, which may have been been due to the fact it was early in the day and rain clouds were sweeping in. Either way the kids could build to their hearts content until it was time to go.
Now at the water's edge Jake made a sturdy structure with dribble castles on top. He had help from his siblings to create what was initially a thick wall to repel the waves. Then it evolved into a squat tower. It got washed over a few times,but that didn't deter Jake. He would repair and replace as needed. Max was more than happy to help out with the connecting wall.
Max, in fact, was happy to help out wherever he was needed. His siblings would remain working in one area, while he bounced about.
Here is one final view. Again it is looking out towards the ocean, but as opposed to the top picture it is down by the tower. I like how the breaking wave gives a note of impending mayhem.
It was a good weekend at the beach.
I am particularly proud of how well the kids got along and even went so far as to invite others to join in on the fun. On Saturday (these pictures were all taken on Sunday) two boys roughly the age of Jake and Nate helped work on the day's sand castle. For a brief moment I had six children and all was good in the world.
In the top picture you can see all four working away with the Lost Pearl in the background. I couldn't resist taking this picture of the pirate party boat in the background. It gives the fortification a little more meaning.
In the next picture, featuring Miss Rebecca, there is a close up picture of one of the many bridges. The kids found the sand to be ideal for building all sorts of ambitious structures. No internal drift wood supports were needed. The sand was just wet enough to hold together and form almost any shape. They didn't need buckets of water to keep the structure from crumbling away. The biggest threat was stray toddlers (of which there were mercifully few with the notable except of two cuties that were well corralled by their doting father) and the advancing surf.
The kids were careful to erect the main body of their fort high enough on the wash to lessened the danger of advancing waves, but not where the sand was too dry to stick together.
In the third picture you can see Nate and Rebecca working on the details of the fort. They discovered that the sand could hold a squared edge and as a result they made small houses throughout the structure. Near Nate you can also see a few more of the bridges. Nate was the main bridge builder and was in fact the one to request documentation of their efforts.
Anyhoodle as you can see the whole thing did sprawl out over a large area. The beach wasn't terribly crowded, which may have been been due to the fact it was early in the day and rain clouds were sweeping in. Either way the kids could build to their hearts content until it was time to go.
Now at the water's edge Jake made a sturdy structure with dribble castles on top. He had help from his siblings to create what was initially a thick wall to repel the waves. Then it evolved into a squat tower. It got washed over a few times,but that didn't deter Jake. He would repair and replace as needed. Max was more than happy to help out with the connecting wall.
Max, in fact, was happy to help out wherever he was needed. His siblings would remain working in one area, while he bounced about.
Here is one final view. Again it is looking out towards the ocean, but as opposed to the top picture it is down by the tower. I like how the breaking wave gives a note of impending mayhem.
It was a good weekend at the beach.
I am particularly proud of how well the kids got along and even went so far as to invite others to join in on the fun. On Saturday (these pictures were all taken on Sunday) two boys roughly the age of Jake and Nate helped work on the day's sand castle. For a brief moment I had six children and all was good in the world.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Beach!
On the heels of our trip up north we had a quick weekend on the beach at Virginia Beach. The beaches aren't as pristine nor as empty as those found on on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, but Virginia Beach is a darn site closer and better suited for weekend getaways.
That said we had a very nice time.
The sand there is great for building castles and the kids did all three days we were there. They would make large fortifications with bridges, towers, and moats. Max would often do his own thing, but ultimately it would link up with the other structures. Nate and Rebecca would flit about adding touches here in there while Jake directed his siblings at one point to make a huge wall to protect his city from the pounding surf.
Speaking of pounding surf, on Friday it wasn't too bad. We broke out some of our boogie boards and had fun with the waves. That evening a storm rolled in and the surf was quite violent Saturday morning. The flags were flying at the lifeguard stations and as a result there was no body boarding and we had to keep close in. But that didn't stop us from playing in the water. As you can see Max was having a good old time flopping about in the waves.
Sunday morning the surf was just as strong, though the lifeguards were being a bit more lenient. We could us the boogie boards, but again we couldn't go very far out. Here you can see how impressive the waves could be. That is Larry's head peeking out of the wave.
We were sad to go on Sunday, but the rain did help chase us off the beach. It was a fun trip and even though hotel rooms were small (literally bedrooms) they were just fine since our main interest was being at the beach.
Oh and if you ever go to Virginia Beach I highly recommend Big Sam's Inlet Cafe and Raw Bar. Great food and service at a very good price. The place is tiny and you often have to wait, but we ere glad we dined there.
That said we had a very nice time.
The sand there is great for building castles and the kids did all three days we were there. They would make large fortifications with bridges, towers, and moats. Max would often do his own thing, but ultimately it would link up with the other structures. Nate and Rebecca would flit about adding touches here in there while Jake directed his siblings at one point to make a huge wall to protect his city from the pounding surf.
Speaking of pounding surf, on Friday it wasn't too bad. We broke out some of our boogie boards and had fun with the waves. That evening a storm rolled in and the surf was quite violent Saturday morning. The flags were flying at the lifeguard stations and as a result there was no body boarding and we had to keep close in. But that didn't stop us from playing in the water. As you can see Max was having a good old time flopping about in the waves.
Sunday morning the surf was just as strong, though the lifeguards were being a bit more lenient. We could us the boogie boards, but again we couldn't go very far out. Here you can see how impressive the waves could be. That is Larry's head peeking out of the wave.
We were sad to go on Sunday, but the rain did help chase us off the beach. It was a fun trip and even though hotel rooms were small (literally bedrooms) they were just fine since our main interest was being at the beach.
Oh and if you ever go to Virginia Beach I highly recommend Big Sam's Inlet Cafe and Raw Bar. Great food and service at a very good price. The place is tiny and you often have to wait, but we ere glad we dined there.
Sunday, July 08, 2012
Nana and the Kids
Or what I was doing last week.
We did our annual summer trek up North last week to visit family and get away from the special joy of Virgina in the summer. I'm happy to say that we were successful on both fronts.
Vermont was wonderful, low 80s during the day and mid-50s at night. We even missed the massive thunderstorms since we left Friday morning. Saturday I called a neighbor and she checked the house and said it was fine. Sadly our vacation had to come to an end and we had to return to the blast furnace that is Virginia .
We did our annual summer trek up North last week to visit family and get away from the special joy of Virgina in the summer. I'm happy to say that we were successful on both fronts.
Vermont was wonderful, low 80s during the day and mid-50s at night. We even missed the massive thunderstorms since we left Friday morning. Saturday I called a neighbor and she checked the house and said it was fine. Sadly our vacation had to come to an end and we had to return to the blast furnace that is Virginia .
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Artist of the Week: Fountain
This week the whole crew is Artist of the week, mostly because I don't know who got the original idea and I don't have the patience to listen to all the arguing if I ask the kids.
But I do know it was either Jake or Nate that started the whole fountain business. There are water jets at either end of the pool and we brought with us our hollow swim noodles. Somebody (or bodies) noticed that the noodles hole fitted very nicely over the jets. With a little bit of effort the water could be forced out through the length of the noodle, as demonstrated here by Jacob.
Nate and Max wanted in on the action and they teamed upat first on the other end of the pool. Since it was the deep end it was a bit tricky and required one person to keep the noodle in place and a second to direct the flow. They ultimately moved down to the shallow end where it was much easier. They had a blast working together and spraying their siblings.
At one point they had quite a battle going on with the pool floats (the green floating mats) being used as barriers. The kids even draped a mat over themselves and sprayed out from beneath. I got a few pictures, but the cell phone didn't do a good job in capturing what was going on.
Anyhoo, they all had fun and even Rebecca got to man the hose.
I particularly like this shot since I have all four kids in the picture and the fountain is arcing up and over Nate and Max. It was a pretty neat effect and I'm glad I had at least my cell phone's camera. I had forgotten our "real" camera, but I wasn't too worried being stuck with just a cell phone. It takes surprisingly good pictures, it's main failing is the lack of optical zoom.
But I do know it was either Jake or Nate that started the whole fountain business. There are water jets at either end of the pool and we brought with us our hollow swim noodles. Somebody (or bodies) noticed that the noodles hole fitted very nicely over the jets. With a little bit of effort the water could be forced out through the length of the noodle, as demonstrated here by Jacob.
Nate and Max wanted in on the action and they teamed upat first on the other end of the pool. Since it was the deep end it was a bit tricky and required one person to keep the noodle in place and a second to direct the flow. They ultimately moved down to the shallow end where it was much easier. They had a blast working together and spraying their siblings.
At one point they had quite a battle going on with the pool floats (the green floating mats) being used as barriers. The kids even draped a mat over themselves and sprayed out from beneath. I got a few pictures, but the cell phone didn't do a good job in capturing what was going on.
Anyhoo, they all had fun and even Rebecca got to man the hose.
I particularly like this shot since I have all four kids in the picture and the fountain is arcing up and over Nate and Max. It was a pretty neat effect and I'm glad I had at least my cell phone's camera. I had forgotten our "real" camera, but I wasn't too worried being stuck with just a cell phone. It takes surprisingly good pictures, it's main failing is the lack of optical zoom.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Down By The Rivah
Today we went to visit a friend that has a house on the Rappahannock. It's an idyllic spot with commanding views of the river, or rather rivah, and a swimming pool.
Shortly after we arrived Jake set himself overlooking the water with his book. He soon abandoned reading and joined his siblings in the pool. I can certainly understand his first choice, because it was a wonderful place to read a book on a summer's day.
Shortly after we arrived Jake set himself overlooking the water with his book. He soon abandoned reading and joined his siblings in the pool. I can certainly understand his first choice, because it was a wonderful place to read a book on a summer's day.
Friday, June 22, 2012
MCP Project 12: Candid
This week's challenge was to snap a candid photo. I got this one of Max as we did our now daily bike ride down to the pool.
It is full on summer down here in Virginia and is hotter than blazes. The pool hasn't warmed up to bath temp, yet, and is as cool and lovely when we jump in. I grabbed my camera on the way out of the house with the idea of taking a few shots at the pool and then, as we started riding along, I thought about how it would be neat to take some shots on the way.
So I fished out my camera from my backpack as we stopped at the intersection. I was following Max and blindly pointed the camera in his direction. This picture was right before we reached the pool. I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. I got the framing just right, no cropping was needed.
It is full on summer down here in Virginia and is hotter than blazes. The pool hasn't warmed up to bath temp, yet, and is as cool and lovely when we jump in. I grabbed my camera on the way out of the house with the idea of taking a few shots at the pool and then, as we started riding along, I thought about how it would be neat to take some shots on the way.
So I fished out my camera from my backpack as we stopped at the intersection. I was following Max and blindly pointed the camera in his direction. This picture was right before we reached the pool. I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. I got the framing just right, no cropping was needed.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Portal and Pools
So far summer break has been going pretty smoothly. We have spent a fair amount of time at the pool with the added bonus of biking to and from is now viewed as a good thing. Last year we got our driveway paved which lead to a burst of proficiency in bike riding on the part of the dynamic duo. Previous years it was an ordeal to get them to haul out the bikes, now they sprint ahead in their newly realized freedom.
As for the Portal end of this post, I finally finished off the original game and then whipped through the second. In my opinion, Portal is one of the best games ever. It is very forgiving of my less than stellar gaming skills (skillz- I do not have them) and poses a good mental challenge. I was a bit sad when I came to the end of the game last night (the gaming explains the lack of posting yesterday), but I still have the challenge maps left to futz around. I highly recommend the games and you must do the first one appreciate and understand the second.
As for the Portal end of this post, I finally finished off the original game and then whipped through the second. In my opinion, Portal is one of the best games ever. It is very forgiving of my less than stellar gaming skills (skillz- I do not have them) and poses a good mental challenge. I was a bit sad when I came to the end of the game last night (the gaming explains the lack of posting yesterday), but I still have the challenge maps left to futz around. I highly recommend the games and you must do the first one appreciate and understand the second.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Just One More Day
Friday is the last day of school and we are so very, very ready. We haven't broken out the sparklers, but are ready to go to the neighborhood pool party. The school bus drops the elementary school age kids off at the entrance and the parents greet them with all sorts of treats and pizza.
It's a great way to kick off the summer.
It's a great way to kick off the summer.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Grounded
Today was spent at home. Which really, I don't mind except it wasn't totally by choice. My van is in the shop for some much needed repairs, so it was planned. But...
It does chaff a bit when you can just run out and pick up something.
Fortunately the kids are happy to be at home. They spend hours playing elaborate Lego based games and sometimes even read. To celebrate the mild weather I even ran the sprinklers in the backyard. I have no pictures, Rebecca politely requested none to be taken. So instead I watched them run and play. Chasing each other through the arcing sprays of water and down into the woods.
It was a good day.
It does chaff a bit when you can just run out and pick up something.
Fortunately the kids are happy to be at home. They spend hours playing elaborate Lego based games and sometimes even read. To celebrate the mild weather I even ran the sprinklers in the backyard. I have no pictures, Rebecca politely requested none to be taken. So instead I watched them run and play. Chasing each other through the arcing sprays of water and down into the woods.
It was a good day.
Friday, September 03, 2010
Bumper Cars
One more shot from Nate and his friend's visit to the county fair.
It's not as sharp as I would like, but I love the quality of light in the picture. In real life it looked nothing like that.
The shafts of light are from two bright lights above the rules. I was very pleased how the picture came out. It is never a waste of time to just give it a shot. Sometimes you might be pleasantly surprised by the results.
It's not as sharp as I would like, but I love the quality of light in the picture. In real life it looked nothing like that.
The shafts of light are from two bright lights above the rules. I was very pleased how the picture came out. It is never a waste of time to just give it a shot. Sometimes you might be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Dusk at the Fair
This year we did the fair thing a little different. We went opening night because the weather was absolutely perfect (and not because I wanted to the know the results of the judging-really).
Other years it was been unbelievably hot. We would put off going, hoping for a break in the weather. But not this year.
Jake was eager to go the first night as were his siblings when they realized all the activity near the school was not just band camp. So we met up with Meryl and descended upon the fair.
It was the low eighties when we arrived with just enough breeze. Rebecca was besides herself with excitement and we barely able to get her to get dinner. Then we were off to see the animals, ride the barrel train, see how Mommy's brownies did and then go on the rides.
Night was just starting to fall when we finally hit the midway. I didn't have my real camera with me, but I think my phone did a fairly decent job of capturing the mood. With the sun sinking below the horizon and the lights shining from the rides, there was an almost magical quality. The kids all had a great time and we look forward to next year.
Other years it was been unbelievably hot. We would put off going, hoping for a break in the weather. But not this year.
Jake was eager to go the first night as were his siblings when they realized all the activity near the school was not just band camp. So we met up with Meryl and descended upon the fair.
It was the low eighties when we arrived with just enough breeze. Rebecca was besides herself with excitement and we barely able to get her to get dinner. Then we were off to see the animals, ride the barrel train, see how Mommy's brownies did and then go on the rides.
Night was just starting to fall when we finally hit the midway. I didn't have my real camera with me, but I think my phone did a fairly decent job of capturing the mood. With the sun sinking below the horizon and the lights shining from the rides, there was an almost magical quality. The kids all had a great time and we look forward to next year.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Crab Pools
This year up at my cousin's house Max discovered the joys of the crab pools.
The beach itself is wonderful, great swatches of bright white sand. But the rocks that form the breakwater and then jut out between the big beach and the little beach have always been my favorite feature.
Max is playing in the tide pools caught up in the rocks. You can find all sorts of sea creatures caught within. There are of course the crabs, hermit crabs (we found one that was no bigger than the letter O in this sentence), the occasional fish, mussels, periwinkles and once I found a star fish.
I could spend hours in there and it looks like Max could too.
The beach itself is wonderful, great swatches of bright white sand. But the rocks that form the breakwater and then jut out between the big beach and the little beach have always been my favorite feature.
Max is playing in the tide pools caught up in the rocks. You can find all sorts of sea creatures caught within. There are of course the crabs, hermit crabs (we found one that was no bigger than the letter O in this sentence), the occasional fish, mussels, periwinkles and once I found a star fish.
I could spend hours in there and it looks like Max could too.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Watermelon
Normally I get seedless watermelon and I cut it up into little chunks. So whenever somebody wants some watermelon they can just help themselves from the container in the fridge.
It's easier, neater, it encourages the kids to be self sufficient.and to eat more fruit.
But it's not very much fun.
So every now and then I'll get one with seeds and carve it up into slices. The only rule is that they have to eat it outside where they drip and spit to their hearts content.
That is fun.
It's easier, neater, it encourages the kids to be self sufficient.and to eat more fruit.
But it's not very much fun.
So every now and then I'll get one with seeds and carve it up into slices. The only rule is that they have to eat it outside where they drip and spit to their hearts content.
That is fun.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Gotcha!
This is summer defined.
Running around outside with the sprinklers on and nailing your siblings with the hose.
The best part is that they all take turns being the master of the hose and a didn't have to say boo. They even roll up the hose once they are done.
I have some mighty nice children.
Running around outside with the sprinklers on and nailing your siblings with the hose.
The best part is that they all take turns being the master of the hose and a didn't have to say boo. They even roll up the hose once they are done.
I have some mighty nice children.
Friday, June 25, 2010
One Week In
Phew, I have survived the first week of summer vacation.
The first two weeks are the hardest. I have to readjust to no longer having stretches of quiet during the day. The kids have to readjust being together all the time and no longer having the structure of school. And to cap it all off, it's really, really hot outside- as in way at least 90 if not 100.
So far it has been all working out.
The kids elected not to do tennis this summer, which means we are now free to go to Family Movie Festivals (ie free kid movies at 10 am) in the local theaters. This week we got to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The rest of the day is spent just mucking about the house. They are now old enough to entertain themselves without my assistance. It wasn't until today I had to intervene when when sibling rivalry was starting to be a bit out of hand. I declared it movie time and we got to watch Back to the Future, a big hit with the older two.
Hopefully this bodes well for the rest of the summer. If it gets to be too much there is always Aunt Meryl or duct tape.
The first two weeks are the hardest. I have to readjust to no longer having stretches of quiet during the day. The kids have to readjust being together all the time and no longer having the structure of school. And to cap it all off, it's really, really hot outside- as in way at least 90 if not 100.
So far it has been all working out.
The kids elected not to do tennis this summer, which means we are now free to go to Family Movie Festivals (ie free kid movies at 10 am) in the local theaters. This week we got to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The rest of the day is spent just mucking about the house. They are now old enough to entertain themselves without my assistance. It wasn't until today I had to intervene when when sibling rivalry was starting to be a bit out of hand. I declared it movie time and we got to watch Back to the Future, a big hit with the older two.
Hopefully this bodes well for the rest of the summer. If it gets to be too much there is always Aunt Meryl or duct tape.
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