On Beaches Travel Journal

I know it can be tough taking vegetarian kids out for food. A place that has so many vendors by the roadside like Wasaga Beach does made me a little anxious. In a situation like this there’s strength in numbers. We were able to send grown-ups out to survey the food situation (with walkie-talkies to stay in touch, no less) while the kids played with the other adults near by to supervise them. So the plaza arrangement also made it easier in some ways. It’s no big deal to wander in, check out the menu then wander back out again. I did this a few times. We ended up getting some pizza at Pizzaville (an accurate, if not creative, name) where they made us something with just the good stuff we wanted on it. There were wraps in flat bread, too, with fresh veggies. We did well with the food arrangements, since we ate the fresh stuff we’d packed in the first few days when we had energy to pack, unpack, and prepare it. Then in these last couple days we ate out more often and the kids got to have something new while the adults took a break from all the prep work and clean-up.

My sister and my daughter get along really well, so this was a treat my kid had been looking forward to for days. They went for a walk down the shore and collected whatever flotsam there was to be found. I took that time to wander around and take as many pictures as I could find subjects. I’ve put a couple of my photos up for this article, and some more good ones in the album for today. After I while I went out to meet my sister and my daughter. We went to find some cool drinks for everyone. Some of us have dairy-restricted diets, so it was a relief to find a place on the beach that offered an iced blend with soy and fruit juice. Soy is everywhere if you know how to look.

After some more relaxing on the beach, the wind picked up and someone decided it was time to take out the kites. There’s a Kite Fest every year on the beach. This year it was June 18 and 19th. Our kites weren’t anything special, just the kind you can find at a dollar store. It only took a minute to get the first one set up, then everyone wanted a turn. It was great - the beach had cleared out when the wind started to blow and we were able to fill the sky with birds and dragons emblazoned on flimsy plastic. I can’t think of a better way to spend a buck.