It's not yet beach season here in Korea, despite the warmer temperatures, but I was still surprised how empty the beach was. Though the small-ish parking lot was nearly full when we arrived the wide, expansive beach appeared nearly deserted save for a couple other families. We followed their example and set up our chairs and tent as far back from the water as we could. We slapped on some sunscreen, nursed the baby, and after a quick tutorial on sandcastles, we headed down to the surf with bucket and shovel in hand.
The last time we were really at the beach Tommy was just a couple months older than Will is now and it was a lot of sand-eating and sandy diapers. Will was content to hang in the carrier so we managed to mostly avoid that this time around. Tommy is now a full fledged beach lover like his mama and I have a feeling, from the way he conked out on me to the sound of the waves, that Will is going to feel the same.
I imagine if we could read hangul we might have seen the signs and been warned about the roadwork but in the few hours we were at the beach they literally tore up the road we drove in on and turned our hour and a half trip into four!! It was a major buzzkill but oh well, lesson learned: always check the gps return trip estimates before selecting a beach on an island with only one bridge on and off. We made it home just in time to rinse off the sand and have birthday cake for dinner. After that drive, it might take some convincing to get T.J. to make another trip to the beach anytime soon. But despite that blow I am hanging on to the sweet memories made in the sunshine with my little beach babes.
We stuck to the shallow waters which were surprisingly warm and spent a couple hours digging in the sand, splashing in the water, and filling our bucket with shells. Will got to dip his toes in the ocean for the first time in his little life. It's so wild to me that the first ocean he's ever experienced is the East China Sea. I know he probably wont remember any of the years we spend in South Korea but I am still so grateful that we get to have these adventures with our boys and hope it solidifies a love of traveling, being brave, trying new things, and that it opens their eyes to all the wonders of God's creation.
This is a part of the world I never imagined I'd visit someday let alone call home, yet no matter what ocean I'm looking at, the beach always feels familiar to me, like an old friend I haven't seen in a while. The sound of the waves, the feel of sand, the smell of the saltwater and sunscreen, are all reliably unchanging. And in a world that lately feels very heavy and the news seems like one endless gray cloud, a sunny day at the beach was exactly what I needed.I imagine if we could read hangul we might have seen the signs and been warned about the roadwork but in the few hours we were at the beach they literally tore up the road we drove in on and turned our hour and a half trip into four!! It was a major buzzkill but oh well, lesson learned: always check the gps return trip estimates before selecting a beach on an island with only one bridge on and off. We made it home just in time to rinse off the sand and have birthday cake for dinner. After that drive, it might take some convincing to get T.J. to make another trip to the beach anytime soon. But despite that blow I am hanging on to the sweet memories made in the sunshine with my little beach babes.