Morning in the sand

The weather has been warming, the sun has been shining, and I am officially calling it Spring in NYC.  I've made a pledge to be outdoors with my boys as much as possible.  It's good for them.  It's good for me.  Everyone smiles more and sleeps better.  Since we've also decided to keep our car, despite the monthly parking costs, we're also pledging to drive more and get out of the city as often as possible.

We had planned on some "maple sugaring" but decided to table that until next weekend (or next year?) and explore the beaches of Long Island.  After a week of sunshine, we were disappointed to wake up to grey skies on Sunday, but decided to proceed with our plans to scope out the beach.  Dunkin Donuts got us off to a great start, and Freddie was able to christen his brand new car seat with frosting and sprinkles. 

Treasures!

After an hour drive we were at Jones Beach.  It's on one of the barrier islands surrounding Long Island.  It's accessible by train and bus and sees millions of tourists each summer.  I'm talking like 6 million visitors.  Beach weather is only from May through August around here, and the beach is only 6ish miles long.  I'm sure you can imagine the scene it'll be in the middle of the summer.

Sunday was cool and windy, and although not crowded, there were still several folks out walking, digging, and flying kites.  Freddie could not wait to get into the sand.

He didn't last long without his shoes though.  It was pretty chilly. 

We saved our picnic lunch for the car and drove around the barrier islands in search of beaches that might have fewer visitors. Hopefully, we may have found a few leads and will try our luck in the coming weeks as the weather continues to warm.