Hamlin Beach

I am determined to keep up my program of getting into shape and improving my fitness. Part of my strategy is to find places to walk on the weekends, especially while the weather is good. So after church on Sunday, I had told the boys we would go to a state park on Lake Ontario called Hamlin Beach and rediscover their hiking trails and nature center.

My sister invited us to go to lunch with several couples from church after the service, and we decided to do that first. Good thing we did since it started to rain hard when we got to the restaurant and poured the whole time we ate and chatted.

Fortunately, as soon as we were ready to leave it stopped raining, and off we went to explore the beach. Part of the trails are in a marshy area with lots of overhanging trees, and we started there. We found the little tower where you used to be able to gaze out over the marsh and watch the birds flit about. Now the trees are grown and block the view. We will have to wait for fall to be able to see anything there.

We walked back to the beach area, sauntering out onto the pier and put a quarter in the binoculars to see if we could see the other side (which would be Canada actually). Of course, the lake is way too gigantic for that, but we watched boats too far out to see with the naked eye. There were people fishing - or at least throwing their lines out into the water. I suspect it was too hot and too late in the afternoon for any decent self respecting fish to be thinking of food.

When we got to the designated swimming areas, we took off our sneakers and walked along the edge of the shore, feeling the ocean tide sink us into the murky sand, the cold refreshing water caress our ankles, ducking the yacking sea gulls, tiptoeing past clumps of seaweed, edging around kids plopped down on the water's edge building sand castles, avoiding the splash of boys running pell-mell down the sand into the water, watching fat old men bob up and down with the water's wake, feeling the warm wind against our cheeks, smelling the sizzle of hamburgs grilling, hearing the laughter of volleyball players diving for the just-out-of-reach serves.

It was glorious! We wandered about for several hours, finally working our way beyond the beach and away from the massive expanse of blue to the campground on the other side where the tents and RVs, leftover from the crowded Fourth of July, held the line against the elements while occupants lazed in front of smoky campfires. We paused briefly at the laundromat for a cold drink, then wearily made our way back to the car, ready to go home and rest our weary feet.

One adventure down and countless more to embrace before the hoary breath of winter forces us inside to huddle restlessly before our fireplaces.