These photos are from a beach camping trip we took a couple of weeks ago. We camped on Mustang Island which is part of the barrier island that runs along the coast of Texas. The barrier island is largely an undisturbed national seashore - the longest in the world! It's really quite beautiful!
However.
What was suppose to be a weekend of camping turned into a one nighter. Uh huh, yep. We've all had those sorts of camping adventures, right? I've camped on the beach a couple of times with Byron long before Bea was born. It was, well...sandy and messsy and sandy and...you know, everywhere, but I don't remember the intensity of wind that we felt on this particular beach camping trip. The wind was crazy. It whipped our tent all night long. Even while we were zipped up tight (ah...I'm claustrophic!) sand was still blowing inside of our tent. We got 0 sleep. None. At. All. At three in the morning, Bea groans, "Daddy, help us! I've got sand in my mouth!" Daddy to the rescue! Sadly, this was out of Byron's realm of problem solving so it seemed. We all contemplated packing it up and going home. Instead, he and Bea slept in the car and I slept in the tent. Well, none of us really slept. We dozed until daybreak.
"Together we laughed for pure joy - he a baby meeting for the first time the wild tumult of Oceanus, I with the salt of half a lifetime of sea love in me. But I think we felt the same spine-tingling response to the vast, roaring ocean and the wild night around us." Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder
And then we got to watch the sun come up over the gulf and that pretty much made us feel alive, awake, small, blessed, humbled. We got to see flocks of pelicans fish as the sky awoke from indigo and violet to the palest of pinks and then finally to bright pink and orange. We combed the beach for seashells and found a near perfect sand dollar.
The water was so warm and restorative. The pallet of the sea and sand was calming and timeless. Bea loved every minute of it, especially since our neighbor loaned her their boogie boards. There is just something about a carefree day at the beach! We should do this more often.
These photos are so so lovely. Sorry for the cut-short camping trip! I've been there without kids and I keep stalling on going with the kids for this exact reason, the thought of being stuck in a tent for a sleepless cold/wet/windy night with kids does NOT sound fun! Still need to do it anyway, though:)
Posted by: Lillian | October 13, 2014 at 10:40 PM
oh geez. that sounds incredibly challenging. but I'm so glad you were able to put a positive spin on things once the sun rose and the beauty of the day and place revealed itself to you. the photos are lovely.
our beach camping trip is coming up in a couple weeks, to Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina. fingers and toes are crossed for cooperative weather and such, but of course you just never know.
xo
Posted by: amanda | October 14, 2014 at 09:01 AM
Too funny. Brought back hilarious/exhausting memories. The photos are beautiful, truly.
Posted by: Ruth | October 20, 2014 at 06:26 PM
These images are stunning--and possibly made it worth the miserable night's sleep! We visited Mustang Island briefly this summer and loved it. I was amazed how empty it was at the time. On another note, I'm so glad you introduced me to your space here and look forward to reading more! Best to you. xo
Posted by: bethany | October 23, 2014 at 05:33 AM
Yes, it was not a trip that rested us and the car will never be the same with the amount of sand that ended up in it, but all's well that ends well. We had a fun day on the beach, nonetheless.
Posted by: Nichole | October 23, 2014 at 04:49 PM
Challenging - yes! But no regrets! You guys must be getting ready for your beach trip right about now, yes? Have a wonderful time!
Posted by: Nichole | October 23, 2014 at 04:50 PM
Haha. Yes, all in all, a good time! Funny how quickly we can bounce back from a windy/sandy/sleepless night on the beach!
Posted by: Nichole | October 23, 2014 at 04:51 PM
Yes, Bethany, being a photography junkie, the restless night is what enabled me to capture these moments and that pretty much made my trip! :) So great to meet you Bethany! Yay! It's always nice to bump into a fellow blogging Texan.
Posted by: Nichole | October 23, 2014 at 04:53 PM
These are amazing shots! What camera are you using? Anyway, I had no idea that Mustang Island is this beautiful! Looks like Bea really had a good time camping there. :)
Posted by: William | July 27, 2016 at 12:15 AM