Last heat wave knocked us all flat. Instead of packing for an hours and making a long, traffic filled trip to the ocean, try local beaches and lakes for easy day's enjoyment for as little as $5 during the week. Cut travel time to under 30 minutes, and the little beaches are never as crowded, I can usually park under trees, and it's much easier to keep an eye on the kids and relax without worrying about undertow, or losing sight of them in the mobs of people.
I'd much rather have them in calm water , having just as much fun usually with lots of other kids to play with. This is the beach my mother used to take us to long ago. It was very wild then, but we'd play in the dunes, hunt for horseshoe crabs and steam mussels over an open fire in an empty coffee
.
can. Now there is a great playground and a giant slide to amuse the children. Most town beaches have lots of amenities, including snack bars. Oh, by the way, this is Pierces Beach in Somerset, MA.
.
. Hint for today: freeze inexpensive 8 oz. water bottles and use them as cool packs, then as they melt, you have lovely icy cold water. Fill them with lemonade or other drink and get same effect. Kids love it, call them "pods"". Take them everywhere: car, ball games. camping.
