We went down the road to Mismaloya beach today. This place is fun in a weird sort of crowded hectic way. Immediately upon exiting the car a handful of guys started hounding us for our business in their restaurants. The restaurants here cover about half of the small half-moon shaped beach. They are built on top of each other and they run their tables and chairs right down into the surf. Literally into it.

Ali and I hate being heckled by touts to eat in their restaurant and make it a special point not to eat in places that do that. So after beating off a few of the more aggressive touts we found a place that didn’t seem to care about our business, sat down at our chairs in the waves, and ordered up.

We had a fun afternoon. The kids had a blast. Ouest is completely out of control when it comes to water now. She just bombs in all screaming and smiles. We have to have serious talks each time now about safety. Talks she promptly ignores which we then have to follow up with time-out talks, which lead to public crying, which leads to, well, eventually she pays attention. Usually.

So we had a good time swimming, people watching (it’s a Mexican holiday and everybody was out), eating and drinking. Then the craziest thing happened. My Aunt, who has lived on the left coast her whole life, while floating on her back suddenly announced, “This is the first time I’ve ever swam in the ocean.” That blows my mind. She’s been to the ocean plenty of times, but it’s Oregon ocean, it’s damn cold. You don’t swim there, you wade up to the middle of your shins. Today she finally swam in the Pacific.

Wow Cow! That’s nuts. Lowe beat her in the ocean swimming race by sixty-some-odd years.