Last Time At Assateague Island

Burning sand greeted our feet and humid heat greeted the rest of our bodies when we returned to Assateague Island for a somewhat sentimental farewell before our upcoming move. It felt like a combination of being fried, baked, broiled, and steamed all at once. As with the activities of last night, the adults were the only ones complaining (except my little girl about burning feet). We caked sunscreen on them and got down to the water as soon as possible. The water was only 65 degrees. The heat got so bad that by the time we were eating lunch, we were also considering returning home. I for one was anxious to end this miserable existence and return to our air-conditioned home. But sweet relief wafted in shortly after lunch. The temperature dropped and a breeze blew. What looked like it would be the worst day ever spent at the beach--ever--turned out to be one of the funnest. Our daughters finally gathered enough courage to walk out to the water without being carried, and our son was more or less body surfing the small waves breaking onto the shore. He's never jumped into the water like that in the previous two visits to the ocean. They are growing up too quickly, and despite my being a stick in the mud at first, we did end out time at the island on a high note.