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squirrelitudeWe went to Crane Beach in Ipswich with some friends, which was an overly complicated endeavor due to the crowds: Drive to Ipswich, get redirected by cops to an overflow parking lot elsewhere in town, barely find a spot there, wait 20 minutes for a bus, get deposited in a dusty parking lot. (Return trip was similar, without being able to wait for the bus in the shade.)
I had a pretty good time! The kid played in the sand; elusiveat dug up a tiny clam; I frolicked in the water and contemplated catching gulls. I killed 12 horseflies, and only one managed to actually bite me. Lots of sitting in the surf, speculating on how shells get distributed by the currents. Some discussion of quicksand, as well—I stepped in a pit that was being filled in by the tide, and I went about a foot deep into the apparently solid bottom, which then did not want to let go. That's the closest I've ever encountered to quicksand. Dribble castles, playing with fluidized sand, playing with defluidizing sand. Hot feet on the way from the parking lot and back. Watermelon ices.
All three of us ended up with sunburns, but our friends did not. I should find out what kind of sunscreen they were using (we were using ZnO), or maybe we just didn't apply enough. Amusingly, the hairier parts of my chest and belly were mostly unburnt, and I suspect it's because the sunscreen caught in the hair, which then acted as a reservoir. I think I got a little burned in the thinning spot on my scalp. Maybe spray-on sunscreen would be appropriate there.
I had a pretty good time! The kid played in the sand; elusiveat dug up a tiny clam; I frolicked in the water and contemplated catching gulls. I killed 12 horseflies, and only one managed to actually bite me. Lots of sitting in the surf, speculating on how shells get distributed by the currents. Some discussion of quicksand, as well—I stepped in a pit that was being filled in by the tide, and I went about a foot deep into the apparently solid bottom, which then did not want to let go. That's the closest I've ever encountered to quicksand. Dribble castles, playing with fluidized sand, playing with defluidizing sand. Hot feet on the way from the parking lot and back. Watermelon ices.
All three of us ended up with sunburns, but our friends did not. I should find out what kind of sunscreen they were using (we were using ZnO), or maybe we just didn't apply enough. Amusingly, the hairier parts of my chest and belly were mostly unburnt, and I suspect it's because the sunscreen caught in the hair, which then acted as a reservoir. I think I got a little burned in the thinning spot on my scalp. Maybe spray-on sunscreen would be appropriate there.
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Date: 2018-07-07 12:48 pm (UTC)I haaaate the feel of sunscreen on my skin, so spray-on sunscreen has been lifechanging for me. They also make it in solid sticks now, which are handy to carry to summer protests. :-P
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Date: 2018-07-07 01:41 pm (UTC)On the sunscreen, I'm wondering if the chemical sunscreens are more effective than the mineral ones. I've been avoiding the chemical ones for several reasons, most recently because some of them have active ingredients that kill coral, but after this experience I think I need to do some more research. :-/