We have enjoyed our time living once again in close proximity to the beach.  We celebrated our last days in Castelldefels by spending one full day in the sand and sun before we relocated to our new residence in the metropolis of Barcelona.  I convinced Mom and Allita to rent three beach chairs and an umbrella so that we would be more comfortable during our surf-side stay.  There is a small stand, complete with a bar, restaurant and restrooms with showers, that offers just the ambiance I desired.  In addition, it has a “private” beach which really only means that vendors do not walk among the chairs and locals don’t set up towels in front, beside or behind you.  I actually missed those features but I was still able to recline and observe the activity of those around me with ease and comfort most of the day.  I do love to people watch.

As usual, Allita spent about half her time in the water and half her time in the sand.  We started the day by collecting sea shells.  This is another part of our beach routine and the biggest reason why we rush to get to the beach “early”.  She diligently searches the sand at the edge of the surf and the shallow waters for sea shells suitable for her collection.  Sometimes this process even involves snorkeling in the swash wearing her prescription goggles.  She is quite a bit less critical and selective than I am, but that is her way.  She finds beauty in the diversity, while I am searching more for perfection.  Probably that describes more about us than we even realize.  

After some time, I abandoned the shell hunt and then encouraged Allita to also take a break (“let’s leave some for others to discover”) so that we didn’t have ten pounds of calcium carbonate to lug back to the room – a mile in the distance!

Then, Allita began construction of a sand castle or fortress of some fashion.  This is also per routine.  Sometimes she will set up a restaurant filled with sand-shaped delicacies that Mom and I are requested to order and pretend to consume.  I prefer the sand castle construction because it is fully independent play that entertains her without any oversight on my part (i.e. checking to make sure she hasn’t drowned).  She’s a pretty diligent sand artist and often will use a variety of materials other than sand to complete her constructions: sea shells, pieces of wood, bits of sea grass, my shoes, etc.  I used this time to relax in the shade of the umbrella and try to read a book on my phone.  This was more challenging that it sounds because of the glare of the sunlight and my aging vision.  I require glasses to read and I generally wear sunglasses.  It is almost impossible to read an LED screen while wearing sunglasses at the beach.  

We shared tapas and tinto (Allita had water) from the little restaurant and bar.  Our server was extremely busy so we practiced our patience and learned to be more “laid back” like the locals.  It was a fun adventure and Mom and I laughed about it more than I expected.  In the end, we wrapped up our long day with another new tradition: shell and tell.  This is the period of the evening when I clean up and put away all our sand-ridden paraphernalia, including Allita’s poor white swim shirt now permanently stained from the elbow down due to prolonged exposure to sand and sea, while Mom and Allita hunker down on the bed and spread out the day’s harvest.  Allita presents each shell to Mom with a little detail about how, where or by whom it was located and Mom provides the requisite responses (oohs, ahhs and oh mys).  Then Mom, being who she is, arranges all the shells neatly according to size, color and shape, and we take a photo for posterity.  

All-in-all, it was another wonderful day.  Nobody got sunburned – which is something of an accomplishment for us – and we were able to enjoy each other’s company for a prolonged period without any real disharmony.  Another major accomplishment actually.  Huzzah!