Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

We have a New Year's tradition of finding a new beach that we haven't ever been to and going for a family walk to jump start our New Year. This year, we finally went to Cold Storage Beach in Dennis. The parking lot is tiny by Cape standards, and we're not town residents so we've never been in the summer. It lived up to every good thing I've heard about it.

The weather was gorgeous and unseasonable warm, so the parking lot was jammed on New Years Day - but we found a spot just as someone else left. We got to experience low tide at Cold Storage Beach. If you get a chance, go check it out. Really. Beautiful.

I saw some of the biggest starfish I've ever seen, the kids were picking up all kinds of sea sponges, and Puppy played with a giant spider crab, tossing it up out of the tide pool (and has the cut on her snout to prove it!)

The kids loved it. They all stripped down to their t-shirts, and my daughter's boots got soaked up to her ankles from wading in the tide pools - luckily they were the old pair and not the new ones she just got for Christmas!

Puppy was beside herself, running around meeting new people and smiling at everyone!

All three dogs had a grand ol' time, running on the beach and playing in the ocean. We stayed for more than two hours in the sunshine. The Old Dog was the one who finally said "Enough," and turned around back toward the parking lot.

Before we left, I took a few pictures of the kids, to show New Year's Day on Cape Cod. T-shirts and sea life. What a great day.

That night, as we were sitting down to dinner we wondered where the Puppy was hiding. We found her curled up fast asleep under the Christmas tree, dreaming of sunny beaches and spider crabs.

The end of a very long week, and a long holiday season.

Happy New Year to all! Here's hoping for lots of long walks and smiling days in 2011!

What are you hoping for in the New Year?