Don't Let Squalls Spoil Beach Vacations

A grandparent-grandchild beach vacation is best enjoyed in the sun. But, Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate with our family outings.

My granddaughter, Alexis, and I have always shared a special bond over seashells. She loves to examine my extensive collection. She gently cradles each shell, tracing its ridges and curves, and asks all sorts of questions about its origins.

So, last summer it seemed only natural that we organize a family shelling expedition. We planned a return to the Long Island beach where Lexi's father and his two sisters had collected delicate fish skeletons, horseshoe crab shells, and loads of seashells when they were children.

We anticipated a week of sand- and sun-drenched Kodak moments. Naturally, that's not the way it played out.

The skies were sullen and gloomy. The steely-grey sea heaved and roiled with huge waves that carved away great chunks of beach. Our determined little band did manage to unearth a few shell fragments, along with some really dicey bits of flotsam. The only plus was that there was a fair amount of sea glass. "Don't be sad, Grandma," soothed Lexi. "Look at all this fabulous sea glass we've collected. We can make stuff with it. Craft stuff. Right?"

Outdoor Alternatives

What do you do when summer storms wreck your beach vacation?

We shopped in town, ducking into random little shops along Main Street to wait out the downpours. We explored the neighborhoods, driving past all of our old haunts, mourning the runaway construction that has transformed what used to be a sweet little village into a wannabe chic destination. But we also marveled over the fact that some places — like the tatty old convenience store — were still there, unchanged from the old days. We took nostalgia pictures of them all.

When the skies cloud over and the wind kicks up in Maine, my friend reports that hardy visitors abandon the beach and head for the rocky granite coastline. A waterproof slicker and a sturdy perch are required, but it's the best way to experience the waves driven by gales all the way across the Atlantic.

Nearly every community is proud of its origins and has its own little museum or historical society. Simple farm tools, pinafores, and candle molds can provoke hours of conversation about how people once lived. Your grandkids may be vastly amused to find that you were not personally present during those very olden days.

Everyone should always bring a book to read. Browse a book shop for a new title or an old favorite. Book stores and public libraries may offer story hours to entertain the little ones for a while.

If it's not too cold, playing in puddles gives kids the opportunity to get as wet as they want.

When the wind rises without rain, break out the kites. Even the littlest grandkids can fly a simple diamond shape with a handkerchief tail. In New Zealand, when westerlies drive kayakers ashore, the blokarts hit Pohara Beach. Lightweight, three-wheeled buggies rigged with a single sail, the land yachts race across the sand. On the water, kite surfers harness the wind to vault the waves.

During a drenched week at a farm B&B in Nova Scotia, one family I know was saved by the barn. The kids spent hours playing hide-and-seek among the hay bales, chasing the barn cats and petting their perpetually amusing litters of kittens.

Animals are endlessly entertaining to the young. Try to find a local zoo, animal shelter, or pet shop full of puppies and kittens for the kids to cuddle.

Here are some more suggestions on how to pass the hours when a dreary vacation day strikes.

In rental cottages, there's usually a shelf full of board games, though a game piece or two may be missing. Adults and children can teach each other card games to while away the hours.

Pile the whole family onto a bed for a tickle fest. Hang a sheet across a doorway and give a puppet show. Have a scavenger hunt... inside the house.

Or, try a round of charades. You'll have as much fun thinking up rhymes and phrases, and teaching the kids the shorthand signals, as you will actually playing the game.

Have a family hootenanny. Remember when you always had a guitar along? Give everyone a pot or a shoe to pound out percussion. See how many harmonies you can create for "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore." Prefer Broadway musicals? Teach the grandkids to warble "Doe, A Deer" like the von Trapp kids in The Sound of Music.

Food is always a good diversion. Try having an indoor picnic on the floor. If you've got a kitchen in your rental unit, teach the kids to prepare your favorite family recipe. Or experiment with some new dishes from a local cook book.

When storms chase everyone indoors, rather than just dragging out the DVDs, why not get crafty? At our beach house in the Hamptons, we glued the sea glass we collected onto the outside of votive-like glasses. We delighted in the delicate mosaic colors shimmering in the candlelight.

Each day, each grandchild created a page for our vacation scrapbook. We glued in found objects from our nature walks — a particularly beautiful leaf, a pressed flower, a feather — and wrote a personal narrative about the day.

The end result was a treasure trove of vacation memories, despite the rain.