What we did on our beach vacation (7 Quick Takes)

~1~

Last summer we were so busy that we didn’t have time to take even a day off from work to spend as a family. This year, I was determined we would take an actual vacation and travel somewhere together. We decided to spend last week at Bethany Beach, and it was so relaxing.

I read five books, enjoyed some time on the beach, did a little shopping and not much cooking, and sat on our balcony watching birds fly by. I even saw an osprey snag a fish out of the ocean. Some days we hardly did anything at all, and it was magnificent.

I am beginning to realize that taking time off is just as important as going to the dentist—and infinitely more fun.

~2~

We enjoyed lovely hot weather all week and had just a little bit of rain. We had such a wonderful time watching the storm approaching. The sky changed and the clouds formed above and around us.

We saw the rain falling from a distance and admired the changing colors and movement of the ocean.

When the storm was over, a rainbow appeared over the ocean. It’s so easy to feel God’s presence when you’re at the beach.

~3~

One of my only concerns about our vacation was leaving our finches, our precious pandemic pets. They are rarely alone. A 15-year-old friend who is more like family agreed to take care of them. He came to meet the birds, and I offered a crash course in the Care and Feeding of Finches. I typed up detailed instructions and prepared food that would last for the week.

My sister jokingly pointed out that I was putting more effort into preparing to leave the birds than she would to leave her children—and I didn’t have time to argue with her. I was too busy boiling corn and peas and eggs and labeling drawers in the kitchen with post-in notes so our finch sitter could find his way around.

We missed the finches. When we got home, though, they were happy and healthy and bouncing around the cage. And our finch sitter’s mom sent us photos and videos every day.

I sure do love those little birds.

~4~

Not everyone in our family is vaccinated, so we mostly ate in our condo, but we did do a little shopping. On one of our shopping trips, one of my boys spotted a flyswatter I don’t already have in my collection—a fly sword.

We snagged it and took it home. Normally when I buy a flyswatter, I don’t use it since I’m adding it to my flyswatter collection. But we kept letting flies in from the balcony, so I ended up putting that new fly sword to use. It was a great investment.

~5~

Whenever we stay in a condo or house at the beach, I realize how much I appreciate my own pots and pans back at home.

This time, though, I quickly developed an affection for the front left burner of the stove. You have to have a favorite burner on a stove.

And when I went looking for something to drain the pasta, I found a yellow plastic fish colander that was so sturdy and cheerful.

~6~

My husband took our younger son surf-fishing on the beach for the first time, and they caught a fish on their very first cast. I was watching them from the balcony, and I felt a bit like Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window, experiencing everything from afar. John texted me a photo of the flounder from the beach.

About an hour later, they hooked something so large they couldn’t reel it in. Our son tried and then his dad took the rod. Then some of the fishermen fishing near them came to try to help. But the fish was so large and stubborn they simply could not bring it in. John eventually had to cut the line and let it go. The fishermen with them thought it was probably a skate, burrowing itself into the mud and refusing to be pulled in.

I’ve asked for the story over and over, and I never tire of hearing about how hard the fish was pulling and how everyone tried and tried and tried to pull it in. Fishing stories are enthralling.

~7~

Early in our vacation week, I asked our children what they absolutely wanted to do at the beach, and not surprisingly, some of their requests were food related. Our older son wanted a funnel cake.

That seemed like a reasonable request, but somehow we could not seem to find funnel cake. Finally, on the last full day at the beach, we went on a funnel cake search, landed a parking spot in downtown Bethany Beach, waited in line for a half-hour, and snagged a funnel cake from Steve’s Sugar Shack, which has the best funnel cake at the beach, according to Funnel Cake Magazine—or so it says on a sign there. I’ve never read Funnel Cake Magazine. I’ve also never met a funnel cake I didn’t like. This one was hot, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and decadently sweet.

Find more quick takes on Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum, and get a sneak peek at Kelly’s book cover!

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