Mustang Island Camp Out #2

I left off saying how hot it got. As this next collage shows the kids all started putting on shirts and hats. Some even swam in long pants - anything to keep the sun off. We applied and reapplied sunscreen regularly but it was still no match for the sun. (Thankfully my kids swim in shirts regularly, they were saved from some sunburn - but the hats went on too late.)


Finally in the afternoon I put up the sunshade I brought. It was too late by then - and too small to fit many under it. By then we were all feeling the effects of too much sun. If you could zoom up on Nathan's poor, red little skin you could see just how burned he was. He definitely got the worst of it. (Nathan is the one sleeping under the shade with a long sleeved, white shirt on.)


By Thursday around 6 most of the kids were asking to go home. I knew by the time we struck camp I would never be able to drive 3 hours home. Once the sun started to go down they began to enjoy themselves again. My poor kids were so sunburned, even the whites of their eyes were red. One note: Amelia did not get sunburned. I was very diligent about keeping her covered.

We packed up camp after breakfast on Friday and headed home early. Even though it was early and the sun wasn't intense most of the kids had no desire to play in the water. They all agreed that they had a wonderful 1 1/2 days at the beach, the rest wasn't as much fun.
At least we made some lasting memories...

Lessons we learned:
- Camping on the beach is fun but only for a night or so.
- Keep meals simple and leave finicky grills at home.
- Bring MUCH more shade and set it up earlier in the day.
- Swim in suits, play in lightweight long sleeves and long pants.
- Invest in REALLY good sunscreen