Finally, the beach!

This morning the sun was out! Baby was ready to experience the beach properly.

She happily sported her swimsuit and hat ...

... but we decided it was still chilly enough to merit a robe, too.

Summer carefully documented each step of our trip across the street to the beach. Here we are under the house, among its stilts.

And here we've climbed and descended the stairs over the dunes; the house is in the background.

The next step was for baby to walk on sand. She was intrigued ...

... and even more intrigued by a clam shell her great-grandma found for her ...

... and still more intrigued at the vast expanse of sand she could both sit on and play with.

And so she played ...

... and displayed her clear approval.

She just couldn't get enough of the sand.

But a proper beach experience involves more than just sand: after all, what's a beach without an ocean?

And so baby dipped in her toes ...

... and then got splashed by a big wave!

She enjoyed that, too, but we returned her to the safety of the sand nonetheless. She played some more with her mother and great-grandparents (finding seaweed, sticks, and a skate egg case) as I took a quick dip in the relatively rough surf.

And then it was back to the house to pack up and prepare to leave. Baby said she'd had quite a lot of fun.

She had a bit less on the ride home, though the experience was smoother than we'd feared it might be. Lots of sleeping, a little crying, three stops, and 8 or so hours after departure, we arrived safe and sound in Providence.