An afternoon at the beach

Today we decided to go to the beach for the afternoon. 

Grace was very excited about her beach trip.

We told Grace to get her hat and she found 6 of them.  Then she started calling for Chloe.

"Toe-y!  Sit.  Sit, Toe-y!  Dood boy!"  (Chloe!  Sit.  Sit, Chloe!  Good boy!  - and yes, Chloe is a girl! ) 

"Be steel Toe-y!  You need your hat!  We haf to go to duh beach, Toe-y!" 

(Be still, Chloe!  You need your hat!  We have to go to the beach, Chloe!)

Grace, sweetie, Chloe can't go to the beach with us. 

"Why not?" 

Because she's a dog and dogs can't go to the beach.

"But Toey's my fend!  Toey's my fend!  Toey wans to go to duh beach too!" 

(But Chloe's my friend!  Chloe's my friend!  Chloe wants to go to the beach, too!) 

I'm sorry sweetie, but she can't go.  Why don't you help Daddy put on a hat? 

"Oh-tay."  (Okay.)

"Here Daddy.  Here your hat!"  (Here Daddy.  Here's your hat!)  And we were ready to go.

So we loaded up into the car.  Grace had her buckets and shovels and other sand toys.

Ten minutes later, Grace konked out and slept for the remaining 40 minute drive.  But even asleep, she wouldn't let go of her buckets and shovels.

We arrived at the beach and it was beautiful.  70 degrees and barely a cloud in the sky.

Grace played in the sand.

And filled various buckets.

Then she buried her feet in the sand.

And played leapfrog with her shadow.

Then she tried to build a "tassel" (castle) before deciding she was getting too "dur-ee" (dirty).

She said, "I need uh showher."  (I need a shower.)

So we went to the outdoor sprinkler showers.

And she washed her feet.

And her hands.

And her arms.  And then we loaded back up in the car and headed home. 

With the beach only about 45 minutes away, I can see us visiting several times this year.