Beach walk- Fern Cove

There are days you forget that you live on an island.
Or days that you forget that the benefits of living on an Island is taking a beautiful day that the universe is offering you and going on a low tide walk.
Sometimes that mud is sticky, and if you are 2 years old it can be scary.
But that stream that pours into the water is fun even if cold and even if you are a grown up.

And it makes you want to pick up that perfectly round rock,
or climb over some driftwood.

This is the wonder of a beach walk.

Vashon Beach- winter explorations

We are having a cold snap here in the Pacific Northwest.  That means our highs are in the 30's and 40's rather than 40's and 50's.  In some of the low spots in our yard the frost is staying throughout the day.  (I know you who live in actually cold place scoff at this!)  Here in the PNW cold weather often is accompanied with clear weather- and lately that is the case.

Here on Vashon the mountains are out! The water looks blue, and it is all so lovely!  Today, we wanted to go down to the beach! We also wanted to enjoy a bit of the sun!  Except cold weather and the beach can sometimes just chill a person to the bone.

So here's what we did, and here is my suggestion for fun winter beach visit with kids.  We packed up a thermos of cocoa, a jar of mini-marshmallows, 2 apples, and a bag of crackers and 4 mugs in a nice little basket and did some slurping cocoa, beach combing, rock throwing, and duck watching.

I'll admit we weren't there for too long and it wasn't the time of our life, but the sunset was BEAUTIFUL, the cocoa was yummy, and we had some beach time!

Vashon Playground- The best of all

There are some great playgrounds on Vashon. Ober park, Dockton park (tell me if there are others!) but the best playground of all is the driftwood on the beach!  

This little one loves to climb and climb and climb!

Throwing rocks is an eternal amusement.  Have humans been doing this since the beginning of humanity? (Do monkeys do this?)

Pretend you are riding a horse!

Explore for treasures or clean up the trash for and teach an ethical lesson!

Hmm. Is this a naturally occurring fort!?

Seriously the beach is a great playground!

Vashon Style

Nothing Says Pacific Northwest like Birkenstocks.
Nothing says Vashon Island like KVI in the warm sunshine.

Point Robinson

With a few hours to myself I took baby Miriam and myself on a morning weekday jaunt to Point Robinson State Park.

I wasn't utterly impressed. I guess when you live in the Isles of Shoals near the White Island lighthouse for several years in the summer you are spoiled by lighthouses.    But still, it was lovely; the warm slightly foggy weather, and low tide afforded me a lovely walk.  Oh and right at the point I ran into this seal, at first I thought it was a rock.  I kept my distance though.