Grab Your Fleece and Head to the Beach

I looked at the weather forecast.

Seventy five degrees and sunny. This was it! We would have a summery day tomorrow.

“Girls,” I called. “Should we go to the beach tomorrow morning?” “Yes!” That was Sunday.

Monday morning, though, our house felt even colder than normal. It was 55 degrees outside. Hmmm. Maybe the beach wasn’t a good idea. I checked the weather. Same forecast. Then I checked the hourly forecast. It wouldn’t reach the high until dinnertime.

Think fast, Jen. The girls have been looking forward to a beach day since last summer, and you’ve already set expectations.

“How about we got to two beaches today?” I asked with great, aren’t-I-the-coolest-mom-ever excitement. “We can go to one in the morning and play on the playground and make sandcastles, and then after naptime when it’s warm, we can go swimming at another.”

We hadn’t made it to one of the official swimming beaches yet (let alone Juanita Beach which was a big selling point when we moved to Kirkland... but that's another article). I’d imagined we’d be there most mornings in July and August, but it hasn’t been so. I had been waiting – stubbornly – for summer to begin. But let’s face it – this may be all we get this summer. So, what do the beaches have to offer for all-weather play?

Now was our chance to check them both out with a more realistic eye.

I packed our blanket and our sand toys, a ball and a snack, and I threw our bathing suits in a backpack wondering if they would ever see the light of day. We donned our fleeces and our suntan lotion and headed out.

First stop: Houghton Beach

We’d driven past Houghton Beach many times. With the sand volleyball courts next to the Beach House Bar and Grill, it looks like the perfect spot for a hot summer day. But what about a cool summer day?

Here’s our all-weather assessment:

Cool Weather Perks –

• Beautiful playground – NEW THIS YEAR! Designed as a pirate ship, kids can climb rope nets and ladders, shoot cannons, balance on a giant rope walk and more. There wasn’t much for a toddler to do, though, so I kept my littlest one with me.
• Sand volleyball courts – Volleyball looks good in the heat and sun, but for players, it’s probably most comfortable when it’s 60 degrees. Lucky for them.
• Playfield – There’s a large, grassy playfield on the south end of the beach, perfect for Frisbee, a game of catch or a pickup game of soccer.
• Sand – A sandy beach rises from the entire width of the swimming area, creating a very beachy feel. It also makes for easy access to water when you need to pack down sound for your castle.
• Food – There are plenty of food options if you choose not to pack your own, and several picnic tables available. Right at the
  beach is Agua Verde Este, a taco stand that serves a take-out version of the food of Agua Verde Paddle Club in Seattle. The stand is open weekdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with extended hours – and weekend hours – on sunny days. Directly across the street is popular burger joint Kidd Valley, and on the north end of the park is the Beach House Bar and Grill, where you can enjoy cocktails and/or dining with a beautiful lakefront view.
• Public docks for strolling, fishing or sunbathing – Even when you don’t want to go in the water, it can be fun to stand over it. The nice new dock allows swimmers to access the deeper areas, but also allows for cooler weather recreation.

Warm Weather Perks –

• Great swimming area - The swimming area features a long, T-shaped sunbathing dock. Ropes and buoys mark off two swimming sections: a shallow section perfect for kids and a large, deeper section for laps or more serious swimming. Lifeguards are on duty in good weather, when weather is 65 or higher, from 1 - 6 p.m. (I guess it’s official that it doesn’t get warm in the mornings, although there were a fair number of kids braving the shallow section while we were there. We even put on our suits and waded in a bit!)
• Kayak and Stand-Up Paddle Board Rentals –NEW THIS YEAR! Perfect Wave Surf Shop has a rental stand right at the beach where you can rent kayaks or stand-up paddle boards. “The city asked us to have a presence there,” said Bobby Arzadon, owner of Perfect Wave, which has a shop in Rose Hill and sells surf gear, including custom boards. “They thought paddle boarding would be a cool new thing for the city since it’s a new and popular sport. Things have been going well except for the weather.”

Late afternoon, in spite of the fact that the air temperature had not increased and the wind had, in fact, picked up, we headed out once again for our two-beach tour.

Second Stop: Waverly Beach

Waverly Beach is a hidden gem along the coastline of the West of Market neighborhood. A bit more modest and unassuming, the beach has a natural, secluded feel. The weather was cool when we got there, but an hour later, as if by magic, the sun shone and the breeze abated. It was the true all-weather test. Here’s what we found:

Cool Weather Perks –

• Fun Playground for all ages – This playground has a couple of baby swings, a play structure with stairs so it is accessible for toddlers (and escorting parents), plenty of climbing challenges for older kids, and several low and stand-alone play things for all ages.
• Playfield – While not as big as Houghton, there is a good sized grassy playfield for those who want to break out the Frisbee or ball.
• Sand – There is grass leading up to the swim area, but sand fans shouldn’t fret. There is a nice sized, dedicated sand play area to the side of the swimming area where you can access the water to meet your sand construction needs.
• Food – The beach offers a good, old-fashioned snack bar with ice cream, shaved ice and other traditional beach snacks… as well as live bait for the fishermen/women among us. There are also a few picnic tables for dining, playing cards or whatever you want to do. There are even some one-sided picnic tables built into the fence along the lake – providing comfortable dining with a unique, extreme waterfront view.
• Public docks for strolling, fishing or sunbathing – These docks are really quite nice and make a great place for non-wet recreation on cooler days.

Warm Weather Perks –

• Fully-enclosed swimming area – There is a very nice swimming area, fully enclosed by a U-shaped dock. While there isn’t sand
  from the beach to soften the rocky bottom, the shallow section starts only inches deep and gets deeper quite gradually making it a good place for kids to play. Because it is surrounded by a dock, the deeper area is a great place to jump and play or swim laps.
• Windsurfing access – Because the sand play area doesn’t
  lead into the swimming area, it’s a great access point for windsurfers.

Wet Weather?

Frankly, neither beach seemed to have much to offer in the
case of rain. There were no shelters or significant overhangs, so if it’s
raining you’re going to get wet. And in that case, if it’s not too cold, you might as well just go swimming! Or, if it’s just a good, old Seattle damp, you may just want to go build sand castles since the sand will be wet and ready to pack.

But mostly, the beaches are great for dry weather of all kinds. There’s plenty to do – especially if you pack sand toys, balls, Frisbees, fishing gear, cards or some other family favorite.

It’s summertime, beach weather or not. So grab your fleece, folks, and we’ll see you at the beach!