New Brighton State Beach with Grandpa & Grandma Nash

Paul's parents are in town for a visit (and they were only here six weeks ago! lucky!) so we decided to spend Saturday at the beach (which ended up being super smart because it was crazy hot in the valley but overcast and moderate and lovely by the ocean.)  There was a high surf warning and the beach was sort of a mess with piles and piles of kelp and driftwood that had been washed up on shore thanks to the high surf conditions, but it was still beautiful in an unusual sort of way. We found a nice spot to lay out our beach blanket and pull out the sand toys and Clara had a ball digging in the sand and destroying sand castles that Grandpa Nash made for her.

Some previous beachgoers had made a cool little fort out of driftwood that Clara and I explored together.  We played "Ring Around the Rosie" around the central pole. 

At some point I had wandered down by the edge of the water where a piece of driftwood was sitting and was having a meditative moment while Clara was playing in the sand with Paul and Grandma and Grandpa.  I guess Clara noticed me and decided she wanted to keep me company.  Paul took these candid shots of her heading over to join me and I love them - especially the last one since she sat on that log with me for a good five minutes or more just staring out at the ocean and it was such a sweet, quiet moment for us.

Paul snuck up closer and took this one of us with both of our legs crossed.  Clara is so cute how she does this.

Eventually the sun came out a tiny bit and it was warm enough for Clara to put on her swimsuit (even though it wasn't warm enough for the water).  Paul dug a big hole and "buried" her in the sand, which she thought was kind of silly and a little weird but she went along with it.

She even worked on her tan by laying out in her little beach tent.  Those are my sunglasses and her own cross legged pose.  What a ham.