Hoping to keep the last days of summer from slipping from my grasp, I packed up 'Sprouts', towels, jackets and snacks and we headed to the beach. Not that I was chasing sunshine and tan lines... For the uninformed, Washington beaches are raw and beautiful, not known for their tropical breezes or warm, white sand.
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But, sunshine was not needed for this adventure! Even with mist, fog and a freshly storm-washed beach, we had an absolutely wonderful time! Washington's beaches are a favorite destination, but they can often be blissfully deserted as they were today. Just us and the seagulls.
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Neither the water nor wind was as cold as we had expected, and within minutes the girls were soaked waist-high; chasing waves, jumping small swells and racing sandpipers.
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My youngest spent quite a while searching for shells and intensely discussing the lack of them with Shaun.
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Recent storms had pretty much cleaned the beach. Probably not a bad thing, her "treasures" always smell up the car on the drive home...
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Of course, after a long afternoon expending a great deal of energy in the wind and water, small tummies got to thinking about the 2-hour-drive home and the meager stash of snacks we'd already polished off. And Mom started pondering the improbability of finding vegan options at the few beach-themed fish-n-chip tourist traps.
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So we attempted to clean off sand, wrapped ourselves in towels and headed to 'town'.
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Luckily, the first NON sea-life-based eating establishment we discovered was Dugan's Pizza and they happily created an incredible cheese-free pizza overflowing with every imaginable veggie; artichokes, spinach, green and kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes and more - with a delicious sauce and crust that were vegan as well! We didn't even have to settle for the standard vegan salad (though seeing the salads our fellow diners ordered, I would have been equally impressed.)
Relaxed and exhausted, we said good-bye to the beach and headed home, full of pizza and a few more wonderful memories....
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