Beach Bonfire... almost

Since Tuesday was Kurt's last full night here before heading out to PA we decided to do something special - go to the beach and roast hotdogs and marshmellows over a fire. Mari and I packed a cooler and had everything ready to go, the kids all had their naps, and Micaela finished her homework really fast. Since it's January we didn't have to compete for a fire ring and we found a nice spot away from everyone else. It was perfect. We got there early enough that the kids were able to run around and play on the beach and eat the sand (Anabelle seems to really like it). Kurt was in charge of starting up the fire. He looked at what I had packed and then said "where's the kindling? Haven't you ever made a fire before?" Oops. I guess I thought about kindling and then just hoped that we could use a lot of cardboard instead. I guess it doesn't work that way. We ended up cooking the hotdogs at home and roasting the marshmellows over the fire in the living room fireplace, but the time spent playing on the beach and watching the sunset was still work the trip.