beach

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Dear Jack: Bucketful of Jellyfish

14 years, 6 months.

Dear Jack,

Last month on our family Spring Break vacation to Florida, we stayed on a beach where the jellyfish were particularly abundant. I didn’t realize how much entertainment this would provide for you.

We were unclear on whether the giant jellyfish that washed up on the shore were still alive, but that didn’t stop you from trying to save as many as you could… one pink bucket at at time.

I love it that even as a teenager, I still see you caught up in the same kinds of activities you would do when you were a little boy.

 

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Your Favorite Vacation Ever

13 years, 8 months.

Dear Jack,

Turns out, I was right regarding how you would feel about experiencing the Pacific West coast for the first time.

Our first morning there, I took you out on Nye Beach. You were surprised by the chilly, choppy water; which was in obvious contrast to the beaches you have known in Florida.

Like me, you were mesmerized by the dreamy, never-ending ocean; further shrouded in mystery by the dense fog.

You enjoyed discovering the new marine life you have never been exposed to.

The “quicksand” also provided a bit of entertainment for you as well.

As we left Nye Beach that first full day in Nye Beach, you told me, “Daddy, this is the best beach I have ever been to.”

A few days later, as our family had just finished our giant dune buggy tour, you announced, “This is the best vacation we have ever been on!”

I’m so glad you feel about way. I agree.

 

Love,

Daddy

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Fun Parenting Idea for the Beach: How to Make a “Buried Treasure” for Your Child to Discover

Last month our family traveled to Destin, Florida for our summer vacation. The week before we left, I put together a “buried treasure” kit for my son to find.

I started out by driving over to Party City on my lunch break, where for $4, I was able to find a metal lunchbox shaped like a treasure chest. A few aisles down, I picked up a pack of plastic casino chips for $6 that look like gold coins.

Next, headed over to PetCo and for another $6, I found an actual buffalo antler.

Knowing that my 6 and a half year-old son was already preoccupied by the idea of finding a dinosaur bone or a saber tooth tiger’s tooth, I then headed over to PetCo and for another $6, I found an actual buffalo antler.

Lastly, I found a paper bag in the recycle bin at work, and tore part of it into the shape of a sheet of paper.

Now that I had all the supplies, I finalized the items.

I got a hold of some matte black spray paint to cover up the Disney cartoon theme of the metal lunch box. Then I threw it down several times on the concrete, to give it a more rustic look.

Afterwards, I wrote a letter, as a pirate from 1700’s, explaining that my treasure was buried nearby. Using a lighter from a friend, I then singed the edges of the letter, then splashed it in water to help make it look a couple hundred years old.

Fast forward a few days and several hundred miles later: I threw the items in my old Gap backpack from college. As my son played in the sand just about 15 feet away, with his back turned to me, I dug 2 separate holes in the sand, about 6 feet apart; one for the treasure chest filled with gold coins and the pirate’s letter on top of them, and the other one for the “saber tooth”.

As you can imagine, it was quite an adventure!

And that’s how it’s done.

Now, if you found this blog post to be interesting and relevant, I hereby invite you to read another blog post I did, which shows the pictures of the actual event taking place.

Click here to check it out.

 

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Dear Jack: The Pirate’s Treasure and Saber Tooth You Found at Miramar Beach! (“Ride the Lightning” 2017 Toyota Prius Road Trip)

6 and a half years.

Dear Jack,

During the weeks leading up to our recent road trip to Destin, you had been telling me, “Daddy, I think we’re going to find treasure at the beach. Maybe even some bones. Maybe we can find a saber-toothed tiger skull because they’re the hardest to find in the whole world!”

I kept assuring you that if you looked in the right places, we just might find a buried something.

So during our 2nd morning at the beach last week, while your sister was out with Mommy and Grandma and Aunt Rebecca as they took the 2017 Toyota Prius Three to the outlet stores, you and I went out searching on the shore.

Just about 5 minutes into you playing in the sand as the water kept washing up and flooding your feet, I called you over to me, as I was just about 15 feet behind you.

“Jack, come over here. I think this would be a good spot to dig! The sand looks sort of different where this spot is.”

You rushed over.

After you dug down about 8 inches deep, there it was… a scratched up treasure chest!

With great excitement, you pulled the black metal box out of the sand. Fortunately, there was no lock, so you were able to open it right away.

Amazingly, there was a letter right there on top. We read it together:                                                                                          

July 1, 1733

To the Person Who Finds My Treasure,

If you are reading this, it is too late for me. This means my ship sank on the sea. I was keeping my gold safe in the sand, but now it is all yours. And one more thing, watch out for the dinosaurs and saber-toothed tigers…

Henry the Pirate

But you were more impressed by the gold coins inside the treasure chest. You counted them all: “Daddy, there’s 73 gold coins!”


This immediately inspired you to continue searching, as now you were becoming preoccupied with finding some bones in the sand. Just a few minutes later, a few feet away from where the treasure chest was buried, I started digging.

“Here, why don’t you take a turn now?” I suggested to you..

It couldn’t have been a minute later that you shouted, “Daddy, I found something!”

Without me having to explain anything, you figured it out:

“It’s a saber-toothed tiger’s tooth!”

And that tooth ended up being worth more to you than all that gold.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: The Beach Bonfire Family Reunion (San Diego Vacation/2016 Mitsubishi Outlander)

5 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack: The Beach Bonfire Family Reunion (San Diego Vacation in a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander)

Dear Jack,

A few days into our family’s vacation last week to San Diego to see Uncle Jake get married, we caught up with more of Mommy’s family at a bonfire at the beach. There were some of the family members there who we haven’t seen in years.

One in particular was your cousin Zach. The last time I saw him was when Mommy and I got married back in 2008, which was 2 years before you were born.

Dear Jack: The Beach Bonfire Family Reunion (San Diego Vacation in a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander)

He was a teenager the last time I saw him; now he’s in his mid-twenties.

Zach took a special interest in you. You had an agenda to “make a lake” by repeatedly filling up a liter-sized water bottle and taking it near the bonfire where you had dug a hole.

For about an hour and a half, Zach excitedly (and patiently) walked back and forth with you from the beach to the “lake” you were making, knowing full well that the water would never actually fill up; but instead, simply sink into the sand.

However, you were happy because “it made the sand thick enough to make a castle.”

This bonfire family reunion also was a special event for you because got to have s’mores. (We brought our own special vegan marshmallows.)

Dear Jack: The Beach Bonfire Family Reunion (San Diego Vacation in a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander)

Your baby sister Holly slept through a good amount of it all. I don’t remember leaving until about 10:30 that night. No one was in a hurry to leave.

It’s a rare thing to be able to hang out on the beach, huddled around a bonfire.

Dear Jack: The Beach Bonfire Family Reunion (San Diego Vacation in a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander)

But finally we made our way back to our hotel. Fortunately, because the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander we drove had 7 seats, we were able to take a few family members back to their hotel as well.

Dear Jack: The Beach Bonfire Family Reunion (San Diego Vacation in a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander)

I have many more stories to tell you about our trip. Stay tuned for more adventures!

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: The Beach Bonfire Family Reunion (San Diego Vacation in a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander)