Annual Family Picnic

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day to be at the beach. With temperatures in the middle 80's and high humidity, people were taking advantage of a day by the shoreline. Where I live, I'm probably only a half-mile from Lake Superior. But I cannot go directly to the lake because there are other homes in the way. Some people are lucky enough to own property along the shore! But further down the road from where I live, there's plenty of state-owned beach front to enjoy. And if you were to look, you can see white sandy beaches for miles. It truly is a spectacular sight.

My family and I have started a new tradition that began last year. My sister and her kids, along with my parents and I bring along some food for a picnic at the beach. My dad does the cooking on the grill and we all eat there. After that, we head down to the beach for some swimming. Last year the weather wasn't quite as warm as it was this year - in fact, there were more clouds out than sun. And the water temperature of the lake was quite chilly. I didn't even do any swimming it was so cold! But the kids did - they don't seem to be bothered by the cold lake water. With the warm air temperatures this year and the unusually warm lake waters, it was hard not to do any swimming this time around.

I am typically not a fan of putting on sun screen, even if I'm out for a short while. But yesterday I kind of wish I did, because I got a bit burned. My arms, face, top of my head, and neck all got a little red. It wasn't quite noticeable at first, but later on in the evening, you could definitely tell I got red. Ah well, it'll go away in a few days. I'll just have to be more careful if I venture out in the sun. Like I mentioned, the swimming was fantastic. The water didn't take your breath away as much when you entered. Isn't it funny how long it takes a person to get adjusted to the water temperature when older? When you're a kid, you jump right in. But for adults, we slowly wade into the water until we're finally neck-deep. Still, one could not complain about Lake Superior's water yesterday. There were a few waves here and there, but all in all, it was a nice time to be on the lake.

My nephew was even playing with a few other kids that were there - but he gets along very well with just about anyone. My niece doesn't quite have that same personality, but she's funny in her own way. Because my dad and I are on vacation this week and my sister is off from work today, we just might make a repeat trip to the beach again this afternoon. It appears we'll have another day like yesterday - so why not spend it at the beach. We have to enjoy these days while we can.