Beach Day

When it's a sizzling, fry-an-egg-on-the-concrete-hot day, where do you go?  For us, it was the beach.

First, though, on the way to the beach, we did a little thrift shopping.  I netted two new leather purses, a ladies black leather vest, and a pair of ladies black leather Harley-Davidson lederhosen.  Okay, lederhosen is not the correct name for them, but I don’t know what is—overalls? Shorts with leather straps? I haven’t a clue, but I do know they’re pretty sweet, and hopefully someone will be happy to nab them from me on eBay, perhaps just in time for Sturgis.  But I digress.

Harrington Beach State Park is one of my favorite beaches on Lake Michigan.  North of Milwaukee, south of Green Bay, it’s about halfway between Port Washington and Sheboygan.  It's usually less crowded than the bigger beaches, especially on a weekday or the day before a major holiday.
 

It’s cooler near the lake, and indeed that was the case today.  High 90s inland, mid-80s at the lakefront.  We walked the smooth sand along the shoreline, letting the cool, clear water lap at our feet, with only gentle sounds of surf, seagulls, and conversation carried on the wind. 

We've been there many times, even when conditions were less than ideal.  The last time we were there, a number of years ago, the personal watercraft were out en masse, making it seem more like a racetrack. 

One time, on a hot and humid day inland, we arrived at the lakeshore to find it completely fogged in.  We spent some time on the beach anyway, though it was strange to enter what seemed like another world just a few steps from our parked car.

Another visit coincided with a massive die-off of alewives littering the shore.  That was not a particularly good beach day.

Today, though, was about as close to perfect as it gets.  If asked to imagine my personal “happy place,” it may well be this.

I hope you get your holiday happy on tomorrow—have a fun and safe 4th!