Vacation: Day # 3

Despite only having 4 hours of sleep I was up at 5:00AM packing the truck for a trip to the ocean - I figure my employer doesn't require me to sleep so why should my vacation!
The entire family was up and ready to go in record time and we decided to get breakfast on the road as we had a couple of errands we needed to complete on the way. After a trip through the local Dunkin' Donuts drive through we were on our way. I decided against my better judgement and followed the directions provided to me via my GPS - I can't really complain though as it was overcast this morning so we weren't missing any of the glorious sunshine and we took in some of the local sites that I haven't seen in quite some time. We arrived at the beach and were surprised to see how empty the parking lot was, it was nice to park right next to the dunes and so close to the water. The kids were excited that they were going to be able to use their body boards. It was high tide when we arrived so the waves were the smallest they would be all day and we were able to watch how the tide phases affected the waves, water levels and beach head.
Not long after we arrived the sun burned through all the clouds and haze and the sky was clear and blue! (Well at least that is what I was taught growing up - for all we know it could really be orange!) By mid afternoon the tide was making its way back in and the waves had grown quite a bit, the only problem was that with all the fun we were having in the surf that sunscreen was the last thing on my mind. Needless to say I am now in pain, laying in bed with the shakes, and praying I will wake up feeling better tomorrow morning. I love the ocean and watching my kids (and wonderful wife) playing in the sand and surf brings back memories of weekends spent at the beach with my mother while I was growing up. Hopefully we will all be feeling better tomorrow as we have plenty of fun planned for the afternoon and evening.