Sunken Meadow

With just a few days left in our summer schedule, we decided to hit the beaches of New York one more time before Elisa starts school on Thursday. So today we packed up around 11 a.m. and made our way out to Sunken Meadow State Park along the north shore of Long Island. Clocking in at just an hour away, it was a spot I'd been hearing about for a while and never had the reason to go. I knew it was going to be rocky, with calm waters because of the sound. But I didn't really think about all the seaweed it might hold. Um, yeah. Elisa is NOT a fan. It took her a good 30 minutes to warm up to the idea of coming into the water. And truth be told, I kind of couldn't blame her. I didn't look like the most inviting body of water. If Lake Michigan was crystal clear (and freezing!), this was murkier water with better temps but lots of floating algae and sea gunk. Walking out past all the floating stuff wasn't too hard, but lots of little sharp rocks underfoot didn't make it easy either. We finally coaxed her into the water with a promise of $5 if she set foot in this perfect swimming spot. And she did. By the time she gathered her courage (and Nacho's help to carry her over the first icky part), she was almost unstoppable. And that's Elisa for you. She might faunch and fuss, but eventually when she caves she will never get enough of that thing she resisted. She is completely and utterly unable to be lukewarm about something. She either despises it or adores it. And that's part of why I try so hard to coax her with things like this. I knew she would have a great time swimming out in the calm waters, but it took a lot of effort to convince her. Too much effort really. But in the end, her delight and Carolina's absolute ease about everything made the trip a success. It also helped that we had a shady spot with a table to eat lunch and a concession stand with delicious ice cream right at the boardwalk. So, yes, Sunken Meadow was a fun change of pace. Not sure it would be my go-to beach, but I think the playground and proximity to other things in Long Island (hello, Hicksville Target) made the outing more enjoyable. So thanks, Summer 2015. You haven't disappointed me yet.