I can't remember how many times Dad took us to Long Beach. My first memory there was chasing Graeme and Zoanna out into the shallow surf and stumbling into a small channel that was hidden in the waves – a fun practical joke to play on your very short sibling.
Dad liked to stay at Klipsan Beach Cottages, I still remember the goldfish pond, and the hike through the coastal sand dunes that separated the cottage from the beach.
On the beach is where I first drove my dad's truck, at far too young an age. I think I could barely reach the pedals and see over the wheel at the same time. On the beach, with nobody within a quarter mile in any direction, you could do that type of thing.
In 1998, Dad bought us a trick kite from a local shop, and we all fought over whose turn it was for the rest of the trip!
In the Summer of 2020, in the depths of the pandemic and pregnant with Tula, we got to experience Long Beach with Dad one last time. As a parent, trips to Long Beach represents the kind of enduring family memories that bonded me to nature, and I hope to give my children something that special.
1986
1987
1992
1997
1999
2020
Here’s another photo, I think from 1992