Sunday Outing

It was a pleasant day to begin with. The rain the night before brought the temperatures down and made the humidity almost non-existent. It was a spur of the moment decision to take the kids to a beach yesterday. Something we hadn’t done for a while. And it was A’s first ‘beach’ outing.

And what a great idea it turned out to be. The beach we went to is a lake side beach nestled in the Catoctin Mountains. The drive up to it was simply gorgeous with years old oaks, maples and poplar trees majestically towering over the winding mountain road, the sun peeking in and out of them as if playing hide and seek with us.

We got there around 1p and to our utter delight the parking lot wasn’t packed and there weren’t too many people. On our last visit, it was a struggle finding a spot! We found ourselves a nice picnic table by the lake and decided to grab our lunch before we hit the cool, inviting water. Lunch was KFC that we picked on our way there. The kids woke up hungry from their naps and were thrilled to find chicken, mashed potato and corn waiting for them. They ate without much fuss- D excited about finishing up his lunch and getting into his swim gear.

We went quite prepared for the trip- took everything we needed to take. And I must commend ourselves for that considering we only had maybe half an hour to pack and get ready. Hubby dear pulled out the folding chairs and umbrella, while I grabbed the ice box with drinks, the bag with swimwear, towels and sunscreen and off we went to frolic and bask in the sun-kissed water.

The water was cooler than expected but it didn’t take us long to get used to it. A was a bit hesitant in the beginning but in a few minutes she took to the water like a fish. Looking absolutely adorable in her newly acquired swimsuit, she kept pulling up sand in her hand and loved watching it being washed away by the water. She kept saying ‘more peas (please)’ indicating me to put more sand in her tiny little hand. D treaded in slowly after much observation and evaluation, just like he does with almost everything else. But once he was in the water, there was no looking back. He was having a time of his life.

We spent a good chunk of our time in the water. It was simply a beautiful day to be in it and watch the beauty around us. The lake is surrounded by green, luscious mountains on every side, cocooning us thus making the place even more charming and breathtaking. There was a light breeze, the air was filled with children’s squeals and laughter, people chattering, BBQs sizzling and yet there was a calmness in it that was absolutely relaxing.

It was a perfect outing on a perfect day. But just as all good things come to an end, so did our day at the beach. As expected, D was quite upset about leaving. He wanted to stay on until night time and watch the snakes (something we told him to make him leave). Evidently, it backfired! He sulked the whole way and then dozed off only to wake up right before dinner time. By the end of it all, both kids were completely wiped out but immensely enjoyed their Sunday outing.

Hubby dear and I have decided that we should do this more often. Not just beach outings but 'impromptu' trips – not much planning but packing ourselves quickly and heading off to some place nice without a care in the world.