Back to the beach

Yesterday (Sunday) we went to the "beach" at Oneida Lake, about 20 minutes away. They call it a beach, though of course it seems odd to me, since there's no ocean. But there's sand, maybe that's the key ingredient for a beach. It's hot here, but not as hot as Philadelphia, and not quite as humid. Everyone says we wouldn't need central air conditioning here, but I can't really see surviving all summer without it. It gets pretty stuffy in the house, even with the ceiling fans. Thankfully it cools off at night, so sleeping hasn't been a problem (though last night was definitely the worst it's been). Anyway, the kids had a blast at the lake. Alana was a tiny bit nervous at first, but quickly got comfortable in the water and she played along the shore, throwing sand in the water and so on. Eventually she even ventured into the water alone, so I had to watch her carefully. Caleb made quick friends with some other kids who were looking for fish (there's lots of tiny minnows, though it's hard to see them in the murky water). We stayed for a couple of hours and plan to go back next weekend if the weather cooperates. There was a pretty good crowd, but it wasn't crowded (at least not by Jersey shore standards!), just enough to give the place a nice energy.

Larry's folks were here for most of the weekend, our first out-of-town guests. We gave them a minimal tour of the area on Saturday, though it poured rain most of the day (the rain only seems to come down in torrents around here!) The kids enjoyed having their grandparents around to show off for. We found a nice place for breakfast nearby (The Market Diner) that we'll definitely be visiting again.


Below is a picture of the kids playing with Play Doh that they got from a friend (I'd include a photo from the beach but of course I left the camera on the kitchen table - I was focused on remembering the sunscreen!)