Everyday Life...

...which includes a trip to the beach.

What are you doing to occupy your time while you shelter at home?  I have mentioned before that I have enough hobbies to keep me busy all day every day, and that's mostly how I've been filling my time and engaging my mind.

I purchased the eight-book series of The Dark Tower by Stephen King.  There was a movie out recently, The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, which is loosely based on these books.  So far I've read 1,371 captivating pages of this 4,470-page behemoth.

I've made three dozen of these crocheted dish rags.  Each one takes about two hours from start to finish.  And as is par for the course, I've already given away most of them.

I've made two of these flannel baby blankets, a gift for a great niece who will make her debut in June.  My grandmother made one of these blankets for each new baby born into our family.  She taught me how to join them together with a simple crochet stitch before she left this world.

I finished the drawing of this cityscape on linen.  It is setting in my embroidery basket waiting for me to begin stitching.  This embroidery project is destined to become a wall hanging.

I've spent hours scribbling pictures in my sketchbook.  The image on the far left is a whimsical drawing; the one on the right is a good representation of the art of Zentangle.

Consort and I walk the dogs several times each day within the RV park.  We have also gotten out a few times for pure enjoyment.  Our outings are nothing like the excursions we had before the order to stay at home (which they're very serious about here in south Texas), but it is time away from the fifth wheel and out of the park.

We took the dogs with us to the drive-thru at Dairy Queen over the weekend.  Did you know DQ will give you free "pup-cones" for your dogs?  This is Annie slurping up the little bits of ice cream that missed her mouth and caught in her furry face.

The above is a collage of pictures from our day today.  Notwithstanding the hobbies, card games, and endless hours of reading that consort and I pursue, and in spite of the fact we take the dogs for walks and visit with our neighbors several times each day, we were all ready to move beyond the encroaching walls of our home that presumably keep us safe.  (The picture on top is of a couple walking down the beach.  The weather was very foggy when we started.)

We drove to the dog park yesterday, but it is still shut down.  And nowadays, consort and I are much too mature to hop the fence.

Today we drove to Padre Island determined to spend the day at the beach allowing the dogs to run, jump waves, and sniff every oddity found in the sand.  In our past trips to the beach, consort and I end up chastising ourselves for not being more prepared.  We never seem to have the things we need or want.  Today would be different.  We were resolved to have everything necessary for our outing.

We packed sandwiches and sodas.  We bagged up treats for the dogs and an extra jug of fresh water for them.  We had our chairs, the dogs' retractable leashes, our hats, and a bottle of sunscreen.  We remembered the tether tie-downs for the dogs so they could continue to play while we enjoyed our picnic in the salty sea air.  We jammed all of these essentials into a wheeled shopping cart and applauded ourselves for our thoroughness.  

When we came over the causeway and drove into Padre, we were stopped by a police officer who asked our destination.  Consort answered that we were heading to the beach for exercise -- the only allowable basis for accessing the beaches.  The officer waved us through with a wish for a good day, and we motored off in search of surf and sand.

We found a parking lot about 100 yards from an open access to the beach.  We parked and began unloading the dogs, we shoved all our baggage back into the wheeled cart.  I had the dogs, while consort managed our fully loaded cart, as we headed off to the beach.  

We located a nice spot and set up our chairs.  We set the tie-downs for the dogs.  Once the picnic area was arranged, we took the dogs out for a run.  After about a half an hour walking the beach, we decided to take a break and have some lunch.  

We finished our lunch and congratulated ourselves again for getting out of the house and being so well prepared for the day.  We were ready to sit awhile and let our lunch settle while the dogs played.  It was wonderful being in wide open spaces, outside, away from all confinement.  

It was just about then that a police officer driving down the beach pulled in beside us.  He was friendly and polite, but said with no compunction that we would have to pack up all our stuff.  While the beaches have been opened for exercise, they are not open for lounging or sunbathing.  If you're on the beach, you must be moving.  Being the law abiding citizens that we are, we complied.

We packed the chairs and the last of the lunch.  We put the dogs back on leash and pulled the tie-downs from the sand.  We repacked the dog treats and water.  Consort volunteered to pull the wheeled cart back through the sand, up the ramp, and the 100 yards back to the truck.  I acquiesced with a nod of my head.

I stayed on the beach walking with the dogs while waiting for consort to return.  When he was back by my side, we continued walking the dogs until we were sure they had exhausted their pent-up energy.

On the way home, we just had to laugh.  We finally got our act together and were well-prepared for our day in the sun only to be told that on this day we needed only a leash.