Ipswich Jaunt

We made a last-minute decision to head to "the beach" today.

Not knowing exactly where on the Massachusetts coastline to go, we opted to try out Crane Beach in the town of Ipswich, about 40 miles north of Boston, based on a colleague's recommendation.

Nice beach, very natural, with some neat hiking trails. However we were relatively ill-prepared for our visit: I forgot my swimsuit (though the water was about 58 degrees and it was cloudy & windy out), we forgot a blanket (and got very sandy), our camera battery was dead, we were surprised by the $22 beach entry fee, and Sophie was crabby all day long even though I explained to her repeatedly that it was a privilege to be going to the beach.

Still better than being trapped in the hospital, though!