Beachy Keen Day

Marissa and I love the beach. We hope to instill this same love in Aidan, so today we took him to Matagorda, Texas to experience the wonders of God's creation.

We started out from Granny and Granddad's house at around 8 o'clock. We found our way through winding country roads, blinding rain, several wrong turns, and thrice over a draw bridge to the Public Beach Access Road. We were dismayed to find a sign demanding a parking permit from the county courthouse to drive out on the sand so we called for reinforcements: Granddad at work with access to Google. He called the courthouse for us and found an alternative place to play and relax. Off we went again.

We pulled up to the parking lot while it was still raining. But we were determined to get in the ocean and enjoy our day. We knew our prayers for a fun experience would not go unanswered. Let me tell you: God is good! By the time we anchored our blanket and opened our chairs, the rain stopped and the wind picked up. This was good for two reasons: no more storm and big, big waves.

Marissa and I took turns playing in the surf and watching Aidan. He enjoyed the sand, playing with shovel, dump truck, and castle mold. We tossed bread to the seagulls. We collected shells. We watched crabs fighting over a cigarette butt. I played with tiny clams that burrowed back into the sand when they thought no one was watching. And then hunger struck.

But I'm married to a wonderful woman who thinks of everything. We picnicked on sandwiches, sandpeaches, sandgrapes, sandchips, and sanddrinks. And while we were eating, the sun came out, warmed us up, and encouraged us to head back into the water.

We tried to get Aidan to play in the ocean but he's not yet too sure about water that moves faster than he does. He was content to dig in the sand and watch the seagulls. I didn't have a chance to read any of my new book, but all in all, it was a beachy keen day.