A Day at the Beach
Greetings to everyone.
Our hotel in Cocoa Beach was right on the beach. So, today we spent several hours playing in the surf. It was Xavier's first time at the beach and his first time to see the Atlantic Ocean.
We did a quick visit to the beach in the morning before going to breakfast. It was gray and overcast and a little cool. Rebecca and Xavier dared the surf to wet their feet. Xavier did not know what to make of that; he was cautious. Then he saw the seagulls and chased them. Suddenly, getting his feet wet was not so much a concern!
After breakfast (we had to divert to a Plan B breakfast spot. The one Rebecca wanted to take us to had a wait time of nearly an hour), we returned to our room and suited up. And for Xavier, that also means lathering up with SPF 15 or higher sun blocker.
The late morning and early afternoon had clear skies and sun. Rebecca found a small tent for the beach, a meager $20 purchase, but a nice one. Big enough to fit supplies and seat one person. We set it up, then opened Xavier's sand toys we bought for him yesterday. Xavier took to his shovel and started digging. He loved it. Then, Rebecca lead him into the surf.
From that point on, the sand toys held no interest for him. He loved the surf! He ran in it. I showed him how to jump in it. He would grab hold of parents' fingers and hang over the waves washing in. Even when a big one would knock him over and fill his mouth with sea water (and sometimes his nose), still he shook it off and went right back at it.
It was a fine day, and probably if he were able to articulate it, Xavier's favorite day of the mini vacation. We say dolphins hunting fish in the swells of the waves and pelicans diving for fish.
Finally, Xavier grew hungry and found a box of goldfish in the beach tent. He happily ate them as he ran back down to the surf. Then, he saw what was happening behind him with the goldfish he was leaking.
With a squeal of glee, he started throwing goldfish at the seagulls. The swarm was on! He was very popular amongst these birds—which came out of nowhere! We only saw one or two until goldfish crackers littered the beach, then the gulls came. They came and the came until the crackers stopped flowing.
We went back at dusk to see if we could find crabs, but we did not. Still, Xavier enjoyed shoveling sand helping dig up several crab holes.