I took approximately 500 photos on ye old IPhone while we were in Montauk, so please excuse me if your eyes glaze over a bit while I share some of my family's vacation memories a la Clark Griswold.
One of our priorities for this vacation was to spend a lot of time relaxing at the beach soaking in the salt air and gazing at the horizon. We had beautiful weather the entire time we were there, (except for the Fourth...thanks, stupid hurricane.) so we were able to meet this goal pretty easily.
We like to hit the beach as early in the day as possible. I don't like big crowds, I don't like heat, and obviously the sun is a little too fond of our redheadedness...but in spite of these facts, I do love the beach. Most days we were sitting under a beach umbrella by 9:30 and gone by noon right when it was getting crowded and hot.
This was Vivienne's first time being a beach baby, and we weren't really sure what she'd think. She's been known to protest loudly when she's not pleased with her universe, so I was prepared for some major squawking. But...she was great!
Vivi did not like putting her toes in the water. She did, however, like napping on Eric. Every time Eric stood with her in the surf, she'd stare sleepily at the ocean, listen to the sound of the waves crashing, lean her cheek against Dada's chest, and lights out. It was awesome.
We'd follow nap time with some nursing, and then she'd sit happily on a beach blanket trying her darnedest to scoop up fistfuls of sand no matter how many towels we layered beneath her.
As for Madeline? Our little water baby was in beach heaven. She's still a little too young to go swimming in the ocean, but she doesn't mind. Running from the waves is fun enough for her. After two weeks, she became brave enough to wade in up to her thighs and laugh when the waves splashed her chest. When she got cold, she'd sit happily digging in the sand.
Eric spent a lot of time with a snoozing Vivienne on his chest, and a lot of time observing the surfers and reminiscing about his youth, and a lot of time chasing Madeline in the waves. I spent a lot of time nursing Vivienne, chasing Madeline in the waves, and collecting seashells and rocks. For some reason, the beaches down there have more of those things than the beaches near us, which are pretty seashell free in comparison.
On our last visit to the beach, the weather was perfectly cool and sunny. The holiday crowds had disappeared, and except for the lifeguards and a handful of dog walkers, we had the beach to ourselves. It was perfect, and we can't wait to visit again next summer.
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