Beach Getaway - Day One

We had been in the car for three hours (would've been quicker if a certain someone hadn't kept fussing that she had to go pee pee as a way to get out of her carseat, equaling at least five pitstops along the way) and so we fairly sprinted through the gate into this little park when we arrived in Stinson Beach. The sky was blue, blossoms were blooming, crows were cawing, ocean was crashing, and it was only about one pm. 

Everyone got some romping in.

We headed across the street to play at the beach for a little while before checking into our motel.

Needless to say, the girls were thrilled to be there. Polly's second ocean trip, but this time she is old enough to cry out "wawa! wawa!" and point excitedly. Both are old enough to wade, splash, frolic, plunge hands in, sludge through wet sand, sprinkle sand through their fingers, hold tickly sand crabs in their palms, make a flag of a piece of driftwood, gather rocks to toss into the surf, get wet, laugh, and frolic some more. We hit that beach running.

When we went over to the Sandpiper (a block away from the beach) to check in to our room, I explained that I may have messed up in registering online and in fact we had two small children, not just two adults, and would that be a problem? Heather (we were charmed to find we shared a name) thoughtfully suggested that she upgrade us to the Cottage free of charge besides the cost of the extra person. She took me on a brief tour and I was beside myself with excitement. It was four times the space we'd expected! The cutest two-bedroom cottage with a full kitchen and living room, office space, plenty of places to sleep, a bunkroom, even a crib. Lovely fresh beach decor, shelves of games and puzzles, beautiful light and the sound of the ocean coming in the windows. 

Darin and the girls were thrilled as I was, and we went around exploring nooks and crannies. We fixed up a snack and settled right in. 

There are baskets of toys near the office for kids to take to the beach, dump trucks and buckets and frisbees, as well as dvds to borrow in the office. We went over and made our selections and then played in the enchanted garden awhile.

Late afternoon we headed up Mount Tamalpais to hike around a bit and take in the view of the sunset.

Lucy had been looking forward to riding in the "backpack thing" all day. Later I was surprised to find that she had packed some of her little toys into the pocket already when it was in the living room waiting to go in the car. It was fun to see what she chose: a little deer figurine, a dancing skeleton, a weird cat stuffed animal with big eyes, and a field mouse finger puppet. These ended up providing quite a lot of entertainment as we sat on the ridge to watch the sun set.

Mt. Tam is one of the best places to walk ever. Just rolling green hills with criss crossing paths and brilliant vistas in every direction. The ocean close below, the city just far enough away that it looks beautiful and veiled. You are flooded with the desire to wander there for weeks, with a knapsack full of wine and bread and cheese, a good book and a journal. Everything is huge and present around you, and you feel part of the sky.

My little tag along woke up sleepily happy at the circumstances. 

Tootie was delightfully snuggly as it got colder up there.

Moonrise kingdom.

Up over the ridge came two turkeys engaged in quite a battle. I've never seen anything like it and I don't know enough about turkeys to know what was going on, mating, fighting for dominance, or just an intense dance sequence that bordered on violent. The girls paused in their activity, mesmerized. These guys got awfully close to us, paying us absolutely no heed whatsoever. Their antics continued along the hillside in a wandering zig zag of quiet aggression. We heard nothing more than a warbled gobble from time to time, and feathers fluffing. Another joined in and switched places with one of our contenders here, so the third had time to investigate the countryside as if he had not a care in the world. It was a pretty strange sight, and we politely skirted around them to head back down the hill and take our leave, with their neck-wrestling set against the most dramatic of backdrops.

gathering up.

(still at it back there)

When we got back to town unfortunately the cafe next door was closing so we walked up to the grocery to buy some deli items for dinner. We found hummus wraps, good Point Reyes farmstead cheese, a crusty loaf of bread, oatmeal stout, baklava for dessert. 

Home sweet home at dusk.

Our feast.

My treat.

I knew already that as soon as we got home it would feel like a dream. I'm so glad to know I lived it. I'll be back tomorrow with details from our day at Point Reyes National Seashore!