Beach Day: Corona Del Mar

This really had to be one of the best beach days ever, and just what a beach day should be: perfect sunny weather, beautiful beach, lazy morning playing in the sand. Our last beach day was fun, but it was a little crazy; it was the week leading up to the 4th of July weekend, and I didn't think about all the vacationers who would be on the beaches in Newport. The stretch of beach next to the pier was already feeling crowded at 10am, and by the time we left it was getting hard to keep track of the kids.

But Corona Del Mar was perfect. When we showed up at 10, we were practically the first people on the beach, and it never got crowded. We were at a little known secret beach called "Little Corona," which has some great tidepools capping the beach ends. This particular day there was a fabulous "tide pools ranger" (LOVE IT!) who had set up an educational booth and was teaching the kids about marine wildlife. That day she had found a swirly black shark's egg washed up in the kelp, a treasure touched by many little hands.

The waves that day were incredible. They had the yellow flags with black spots out, which I am pretty sure means something like certain death should you decide to go swimming or surfing (yeah, I don't know what it really means. Sorry internet). Every couple of minutes a really huge set would roll in and create these fantastic explosions of water against the rocks. It was amazing! My friend Carly's kids were initially bummed they couldn't go swimming, but when we explained this was a beach for playing at, not swimming at, they perked up and had a good time poking around the tidepools and dragging kelp up the beach.

Sometimes the beauty of where I live really takes my breath away. When you live in an eternally sun-drenched (and often smoggy) concrete jungle like Orange County or Los Angeles, it's easy to think there isn't anything other than city. It's easy to forget how much stunning beauty is just moments away, where the houses end and the sea begins. I'm glad that I can bring my kids here. I am glad that I can give them this gift - these lazy glorious mornings, and the endless, fathomless beautiful sea.