Before my beautiful boy, my Christian leaves, our summer ends, the summer that just began, we had one last hurrah. Not so much me, I have more hurrah left in me, but us as a family. Dave has been begging to go back to the beach since the last time. In 2014. It’s amazing how fast time flies.

As always it was a very last minute thing. I’d thought that once Dave retired, no longer a soldier, we would be able to plan. I love planning! I love spending hours looking for the perfect location, the perfect airbnb, the best route, flight, sights, etc. But I had a day. Three days later we were on a plane. Because. Dave is retired but still working full-time for the Army. In many ways, he’s more of a soldier now that he was when he was officially a soldier. We are still glued to a last-minute schedule. Will he be home? Will he/won’t he have time off? Can we go?

I found last minute flights, with just 5 seats left, last-minute apartment, all on a beautiful island just barely an hours flight from home. Sardinia… here we come!

We flew eurowings, incredibly affordable but a no-luggage, bargain basement ticket. No worries! We were just going to the beach. A swimsuit, towel, clean underwear was all that we needed. Sadly that meant no room for my beloved camera. That said, I will again gush about the amazingness of my google pixel 3a. I love this phone! It takes incredible pictures. There are limits. There are shots I just couldn’t get. But. WOW!

My goal wasn’t really photography. My goal was family. Just be. And that’s what I did. We laughed, ate, swam, played, and truly, really, just enjoyed each other. It was absolute Heaven. I needed that. I needed them. To have that & them in such a beautiful place? I’m still pinching myself.

I do want to go back, not just for sun, fun, swimming, Italian food… but to photograph all the things. The winding, desert roads lined with cactuses (cacti?). The incredible red rock formations. The adorable, old, beautiful villages. The cows. The details my eyes captured that my camera didn’t. My brain is full of things it saw that I so want to share. Sardinia was breathtaking. A trip to another world.

What I did capture are the four phenomenal beaches we visited. I had no idea that so close to home there was/is water this blue. I wish I had had my camera to really capture the stunning beauty of the Sardinia coastline. Though. I think even with my camera it is just not possible to get all that goodness into a picture.

Day 1. The beach just down the street. In Isola Rossa, Sardinia.

Day 1: Wine & charcuterie before dinner. I could get used to this.

Day 2: One of the most famous beaches: La Pelosa in Stintino. WOW!

Tess with the ancient Saracen Torre del Falcone (Tower of the Falcon) in the background.

Day 3: We got adventurous and went to Cala Rossa (10 minutes away) and climbed the red rocks to swim in a literal fish tank. Pictures do not do this justice.

Day 3: The sun starting to set in Cala Rossa (pink cove)

Day 3: Dane waiting for me to catch up while bouldering to our swimming hole.

Day 3: The sun setting on rock stacks on the beach at Cala Canneddi, next to Cala Rossa

Day 3: Me. Photo by Tess at Cala Rossa

Day 3: Sunset on Isola Rossa (red island) where we are staying. It’s prettier to the naked eye, if you can believe that!

Day 4: We will be swimming & snorkling in this cove all day, La Marinedda.

Day 4: Dane discovered sea glass & spent hours diving for more.

Can you spot Dane snorkling for sea glass?