Over the weekend we decided to take advantage of three things: No work, beautiful weather, and living in a place surrounded by water.

Saturday found us at the beach, frolicking in the ocean. I’ve been in the Atlantic many times now and that was the warmest it’s ever been this high up the coast. Naturally the Atlantic is very pleasant for swimming down south but up here, well it’s usually on the chilly side and you just go with it because you don’t have any other choice if you want to get in there. However, the water was perfect and I had a ball swimming around (no rogue waves tried to drown me like last time, when I got slammed face-first into the sand by a wall of water).

The kids are getting braver, especially since we brought their lifejackets with us. They were both running all over the place, jumping over waves and having a great time. It was a fantastic way to spend a hot, sunny afternoon as a family.

A few dogs showed up (with their owners of course) and although there’s a sign saying that dogs must be leashed, they unhooked the leashes and all three dogs swam with their people. They didn’t bother a soul and no one complained (no lifeguards). I like that. As long as you aren’t actively upsetting anyone, things are fine. Not one dog went up to sniff anyone, they just swam, splashed, and behaved. It was awesome.

(Taken by George)

On Sunday the kids wanted to go to a nearby lake instead. Part of that was because although Hayley had a great time jumping waves, she wanted to go somewhere that would let her just paddle around. The beach at this particular lake is quite small and I worried that maybe it would be packed on such a beautiful Sunday afternoon but it wasn’t too bad after all.

The water was really warm so I was able to enjoy another day of swimming around and enjoying the day. Breanna had a moment of panic when she suddenly couldn’t touch the bottom and was cautious the rest of the time we were there but she had fun and is slowly learning to trust the lifejacket.

There were a couple of ducks there who are obviously very used to people and they weren’t scared at all. One swam all of a foot away right in front of Breanna and then two others poked around the beach, looking for dropped crumbs.

(Taken by George)

I don’t believe in daily horoscopes. They’re usually a load of crap and if they happen to come true it’s because it can be twisted to fit your situation. However, I do believe there’s a certain amount of truth to astrological signs. As a Cancer I’m a water sign and that couldn’t be more accurate for me. I’ve always been a water person and living in a place that has the entire Atlantic ocean up one side and hundreds of lakes dotted all over the place… well, I couldn’t live in a more perfect place, really. Even at work I can see a wee bit of the Halifax Harbour from the windows and even that’s enough to make me smile and feel relaxed.

Summer is wrapping up soon but hopefully there will still be time for a handful of beach runs before it gets too cold.