A Day at the Beach

Yesterday was the perfect day for a 4th of July celebration.  It was warm, the humidity was low, and there wasn't a rain cloud to be found!

We had been invited to spend the day at Greenwell State Park.  Greenwell isn't your average state park, it is a park with a mission.  Once a working farm, it was the previous owner's, John Philip Greenwell's, dream to leave the property to the state with the idea of creating a park that serviced everyone.  So the Greenwell Foundation was born, and today because of Mr. Greenwell's vision, the park provides inclusive and accessible camps, kayaking, and therapeutic riding programs which service a large number of people in the area.  It is now known as the Park of Possibilities and as their website states...

"Greenwell is not a place for people with disabilities. It is a place where a person’s disability is simply part of who they are."

Our daughter worked at Greenwell as a camp counselor and administrative assistant during several summers, and she loved every minute of it!  The location, along the shores of the Patuxent River, is absolutely stunning!

There are walking trails and horse trails that wind through the 600 acre property, and many of them lead down to the water.  You can also rent kayaks, swim and play on the beach, or just enjoy the views!

Our daughter's former boss, and the executive director of the foundation, invited us to join her family for a cookout at the park for the 4th of July.  There was plenty of delicious food, great conversation, old camp alum for our daughter to see, and of course kayaking, but I stayed on the shoreline!

The beaches at Greenwell are so very peaceful and full of interesting things to see, like this huge piece of driftwood, shaped by the salt water for decades!  How lucky we are that through the generosity of one man, and the hard work of those who continue his mission, we all get to enjoy this pristine landscape!

After a wonderful day spent at the park, we headed home.  We took our own kayaks out and were treated to fireworks all up and down the shoreline of both Virginia and Maryland.  It was quite spectacular!  Our local fireworks, held each year at the fairgrounds, had been canceled due to budget cuts, which made me so very sad!  I understand it's a sign of the times, but it broke my heart to think that little kids all across our county wouldn't get the chance to oooh and aaaah at the pretty colors and loud booms that I have enjoyed from the time I was very little!

As we paddled back home under the cover of darkness, passing people celebrating along the beach, we laughed and ran into each others kayaks.  Anyone who lives along the water knows how far sound carries, so as we passed one of our neighbors on the other side of the creek they started to howl like dogs...a whole bunch of dogs!  When we yelled back that we wanted some of what they were drinking, they invited us over.  We passed on the generous offer, and headed back to roast marshmallows and make S'mores.

Last night as I climbed in to bed, tired but happy, I leaned over to Mr. Tide and said, "does a 4th of July get any better than this?!"  I hope each of you had the same wonderful kind of day yesterday, no matter what country you call home!!

Remember there is still time to enter my latest Giveaway...click HERE to find out more!

***And be sure to check back later this afternoon when I'll have a very special Guest Post by my dear friend Rene from Cottage and Vine!***