By the end of August, the crowd at the pool is much smaller, and the crowd at Target around the school supplies is much bigger.
Everything feels like a last. One last trip to the beach. One last day long play date with friends. One last bit of summer fun.
It's weird. We homeschool, so we shouldn't feel the pressure of these lasts. Most of the time, we don't. Our pool does close on Labor Day, and most of the splash pads do turn off once kids are back to school, and we do lose some friends to their strict school schedules come September. But it's not all bad. If we get a beautiful, hot, summer-y day in September, we're taking advantage of it.
The thing about the end of summer is that you never know when you're going to get that perfect day. Now, at the end of August, the temperatures are hovering the low 70s - a bit cool for ocean swimming and sunning. But I'm sure that the 90 degree days aren't over, and we may get surprised by waking up to a heat wave. So the best thing is to be prepared with a car beach bag full of everything you're going to need.
I mean, honestly, all summer I have the pool bag stocked with towels, sunscreen, and goggles. If we feel like we want to go for a quick swim, all we need to do is change into suits and pile into the car. I wanted the same thing for the beach. No stress, no searching, no packing. I keep the bag stocked in the car, and we're ready to go when the mood and temperature are right.
After all, what's homeschooling without a bit of freedom?