Today we went to an absolutely delightful beach on the shores of Lake Huron that is just under an hour from London.  The kids had a wonderful time playing in the sand. Kieran ate half the beach. You try convincing a one year old that sand isn’t tasty and delicious!  After the first few mouthfuls I gave in and let him have at it.  What is more tempting than chunks of canteloupe rolled in sand?  I can’t think of anything.

The unfortunate part of today is that I don’t have any pictures because I forgot my camera!  I was kicking myself but we had such a good time that I fully expect to be back there several times this summer. What I DO have a picture of is my lovely, sunburned leg.  Yes, yours truly ignored the apocalyptic warnings of the radio telling me that the UV index was 9 (=very high) today.  I did use sunscreen on my arms and face and basically all exposed skin on my upper body. But, as is my practice, I did not slather the legs.  And I am paying.  Oh, am I paying. They. Are. So. Itchy.  Oh. My. Goodness.  Unfortunately, my kids were also the victims of my delinquent ways today.  My son was “sunscreened” before he took off his shirt and I did not remember to fill in the blanks, as it were.  I thought we had escaped without any real damage because his back looked normal when we left the beach (as did my legs). But when I popped him in the bath tonight to wash off the seven pounds of sand he was sneaking home in his diaper for a midnight snack his poor little back was red as a lobster.  Oh there you are, my old friend guilt!  Avery also was burned on her legs a bit, but luckily not as bad as her mommy.  She spent more time in the water and, apparently, sand makes a fairly effective barrier against sun as well, because her legs were covered in it for a good part of the day.

And because the universe is just, karma reared it’s ugly head in the form of a family of “floaters” in the bath tub. My son took a dump in the tub.  And I meekly bowed my head and accepted my punishment for my bad parenting.  Oh well. At least no one called the cops this time.

I do have to say that the drive to Grand Bend was very interesting. We were driving through farmland and I found it vaguely disorienting because I have spent so much of my life living near farmland, and what I saw today was very different. Different in small ways, but there were enough slight discrepancies that it all added up to a dizzy and bewildering feeling.  Like walking into your house and seeing that your furniture has been rearranged.  There were probably half a dozen small towns that were literally ON the highway between here and Grand Bend.  The highway went right down their main streets.  In SK those towns would usually be a little off the highway.  And there aren’t normally so many grouped so close together. It reminded me of Europe.  And there were trees growing right beside the highway. Lots of them!  Branches hanging over the road and everything!  That was strange.  And the old farmhouses, of which there were many, were brick (no surprise there - just about every house around here is brick).  But what was a surprise, was that there were a number of brick barns.  That seemed strange. But only because I have rarely seen that, especially in Canada.   But it was a beautiful drive and I really enjoyed the scenery.  I love fields of growing things. It reminds me of home and summer and road trips and my wedding day (we had pictures taken by/in wheat fields).  There are lovely rolling hills and lush foliage everywhere.   I look forward to enjoying that drive again soon!  Hopefully next time armed with a gallon of sunscreen.