Calling all Moms, Dads, Kids: Double Bluff Wednesdays

Summer is here and that means beach time, and lots of it. Some of us mamas got to talking and decided to meet Wednesdays 11 AM or so at Double Bluff Beach. Come when you can. No RSVP necessary. Bring yourself and your kids for a fun relaxing morning and afternoon on the beach, weather permitting. Meet the local parent and child community in a laid back atmosphere. See you there!

The Best Beach on the Island is . . .

. . . Double Bluff! How can you beat this? Soft & abundant sandy beach, great hiking, off leash dog park, shallow water, tide pools, climbing bluff. Alright so maybe you have a better beach, if so, let me know. But this is my all-time favorite beach on Whidbey Island. For several reasons it is my favorite: close proximity to where I live, sugary-soft sand, lots of interesting dried out logs, and when the tide is out, long long expanses of sandy beach for exploring.

For parents and small kids the beach is great because the water doesn't get very deep, it just stays about the same depth for who-knows-how-far. I have tried walking for quite a long while though the water and still not gotten above my head, just tummy or chest level. Plus, the sand makes great sand castles and is easy to dig into. Older kids and adults will appreciate skim boarding, Frisbee, or hiking.

For people who love a good walk: try following the beach until you reach "the second point" where the land levels out with the beach. It is about a 45 minute walk from the double bluff parking area. As you walk you will turn the corner around the first point, where the bluff is quite high. You can see this first point from the parking area. To get to where I am talking about you have to keep walking past this point to the next one you can see, the second point. It is beautiful and well worth the walk

Have dogs? The beach is also an off leash park for dogs, provided you clean up after you dog and wait until you reach the flag (about 700 feet from the parking lot) to let them off leash. My kids and I love "dog watching."

Sunshine, what's that again? Oh yeah! And how to make a Beach-Inspired Fairy Garden

Double Bluff beach on a warm day in April. Hello Sunshine, Welcome Back! I took these pics last week and there were actually a few days of sunshine and warm enough temperatures for me to consider going to the beach.

. . . and back again

The Beach Inspired Fairy Garden:

Making a fairy garden in a bucket: Collect anything small and interesting from the beach and put it all together in sand and voila, fairy garden.

Baby has serious shovel work to do!

It's still too cold for swimming for most people. And I needed a jacket for the wind.

okay, so there is something seriously strange about seeing a kid swimming for an hour in April in the ocean. A hour really. Brrrrr!

Sand! Rediscovering the joys of the beach.

Rhodie Hill Farm

The Fruit Orchard

Sunny Weather on Whidbey! Our Double Bluff Beach Day

We visited the beach for the first time this summer to enjoy the sun, sand, and water without our jackets! It was just barely warm enough for Marina to swim in the water. She has always loved swimming at the beach, seemingly oblivious to the cold. Me on the other hand . . . I'll sit in the warm sand. If it is especially hot I'll go swimming, otherwise I'd rather watch people swim! What a beautiful beach. Also a off-leash dog beach/park. So we usually get to enjoy watching happy dogs running around with their equally happy owners. Stella enjoyed her first sand experience. Grabbing and feeling and grabbing and feeling in a constant motion. She is 5 months old and taking it all in. She laughed as she watched her sister leaping in the water. She can really relate to other children. She laughs more at Marina than anyone or thing! Marina singing, Marina dancing, Marina being silly. This girl knows funny when she sees it. Marina makes me laugh too come to think of it. If I'm lucky I'll be laughing most of the day. And singing. Singing about our day or making up singing stories.