Our last day at the beach - Playa Santa Marina

Que triste.  How sad.

Our last chance to go to the beach and our last full day in Ribadesella has arrived.  For so long we just took one day at a time feeling like we had forever to enjoy Spain.  Two weeks before we were due to leave it occurred to me that our time here was actually finite.  I refused to start a countdown at two weeks.  It wasn't until the last week that I actually started counting down and it hit me how little time we had left.

The weather during the descenso had been rainy off and on.  Then on Sunday the sun came out and promised to stay around until we left.  As previously reported, we headed for the beach Sunday. 

We also made a plan to go to the beach with Isabel and Carlos' daughter, Marta, and her boys on Monday.  Monday's weather was perfect.  We were pretty surprised when we got to the beach and saw the biggest waves, by far, we had ever seen here.  So big that the red flags were out and the lifeguards would not allow anyone in the water without a surfboard or a boogie board AND fins.  August found this out the hard way when he tried to go in for a swim and the lifeguard called him out.  The yellow flag was out at the far end of the beach so he headed down there to catch some waves.

Big waves at Playa Sta. Marina

The rest of us relaxed on the beach, chatted and played in the sand.  Carlos joined us after his walk down the beach and back.

Santi and Louis start a sand castle while Pablo frolics in the background

Santi

Relaxing and chatting on the beach with Marta

That is some look from Louis.  I do believe it's just a result of the sun in his eyes.

The final product

Meanwhile Oliver and Spencer worked on yet another beautiful sand sculpture.  Oliver decorated it with stones.

One of Oliver's most beautiful sculptures, for sure.

The artist with his sculpture

Oliver and I went to the far end to swim and body surf.  The waves were big and very close together.  Surprisingly though, they were not real strong.  Everyone else opted to just hang on the beach.

Santi y Carlos as August begins to dig a hole in the sand.

August dug a really deep hole and is very happy with it!

August and Santi

Sweet Pablo enjoys a popsicle

Eventually we had to head home.  The only thing that made it easier for me to leave the beach and, the next day, our home in Ribadesella, was the fact that we got to return to Madrid for two more nights.  We were going back to the same hostal that we stayed at in June.