exploration

I took the kids to the beach today.

Due to an unfortunate incident last time where Rosey lost her footing and bobbled for a few seconds before I could yank her out of the water, this time she wanted her life jacket. And Cass thought that way he could

skim the waves better as they crested around him.
After I floundered in the knee-deep (cold, damnit, really, really cold) water for awhile, I took my camera off - then we went to go explore. The beach has a small trench in the very shallows, so as you wade out, it goes to about waist high on Rosey.* Then it becomes shallow again until you are upon a lovely wide sandbar - good for hunting shells or running upon, or for a midway point if you have two kids that want to be in different places at the same time. Ahem.
Then it deepens, and that's where the big breakers roar in.

The first trench is a good place to find shells and sea grape - we even found a starfish, no larger than my cupped palm. It was a lovely pinkish-rose and so perfect I thought at first it was a plastic toy. Rosey held it in a careful hand and we watched as it curled a bit, then, realizing it was alive, found a better place for it then tumbling loose very near to the packed sand.

We found mussel and clam shells and gawked at sea snails and a tiny crab that menaced our toes with waving claws, then slopped, tiring, up the beach to watch the black ducks and seagulls ride the swells and knock the sand off our feet the best we could.

On the way home we stopped to let a young porcupine mosey across the road, then home to supper, a quick dip in the shower, and a lengthy re-telling of the days adventures.



Tonight they'll sleep well, and dream of running free, exploring.




*This is where she got in trouble in last time. A wave knocked her over and she couldn't quite get her feet under her. She paddled a bit until I got there.