Actually, if we had done as the Floridians, we would have spent our time inside, coming out in winter coats and jackets. But 60-75 degree weather is perfect for us Minnesotans. We spent much of our time outside, and many afternoons found us at the Jacksonville beach. Since it was winter, the stores had no sand toys, and until my sister Flossie came to visit and left us with sand gear, we made do with kitchen supplies purchased at the dollar store.
When we arrived at a beach, all the kids would drop shoes, clothes and towels, and run full speed towards the water, where they would play, fully occupied and entertained for hours. There is something about a wide expanse of sand and an immeasurable amount of water that assures children they will never become bored. We chased birds, watched kites, played in the surf, and build hundreds of sand castles. When the tide was going out, the kids, headed up by Madeline, would find the divots of land that still held baths of warm water, and makes houses in them, one being a bedroom, one a kitchen, and so forth.The girls noticed left-over cardboard boxes the homeless left (it seems that the homeless will sleep on the beach), and worried about the fury of the wind, they dug out areas of refuge in the sand. The kids collected jellyfish on the beach, as well as more shells. We watched the surfers and fishermen, and the fishing boats further off the shore.
Sam would play with his siblings for a spell, then come back to the blanket, sit on my lab and watch the beach with me. We started playing a game where I would dig a little hole, big enough for his foot, put his foot in and cover it up. He wanted to play that every time we went to the beach, and I loved the time spent watching the three kids playing with Sam peacefully sitting in my lab, turning around every so often to stroke my face and say, "You're cute".
Our most unfortunate experience with the beach involved a sand crab that I caught and gave to Ella. Ever on the lookout for a pet, she named him Crabby, and insisted he was coming home with us, to which I acquiesced on the condition that he would reside in a sand bucket outside the apartment. I helped the girls identify on the internet the crab type and what they eat-algae. We decided we would collect algae the next time we went to the beach, and that in the interim, Crabby would likely subsist on water and left-overs. Ella loyally checked Crabby's sand-bucket every day, sifting through the sand until the found him, tossing in food she suspected he would enjoy, and we all lived in peace for a few days.
One day, unbeknownst to me, Ella, overanxious for the well being of her crab, walked down the lake right outside our apartment, passing the sign which states in enormous font, "For your safety, please do not approach the lake" (Alligators are a problem in Florida). Max, curious, followed her. Ella bravely collected algae from the brackish water, and brought it back to feed crabby. By this time, I was looking for Max, and when I discovered the breach of family rules, I, with passionate determination, took Crabby's sand-bucket down to the lake and hurled him into the great abyss. Ella boldly accused me of surely sentencing Crabby to death at the jaws of the alligators, and even Ryan looked at me as if I had killed the family pet.
Aside from this misadventure, we mostly enjoyed the each others company, and when we didn't there was plenty of room on the beach for separation. After a fun-filled afternoon at the beach, we would often stop at Chick-Fil-E for an ice cream cone on the way home, spent and content, listening to Ella Enchanted or Rosanne Cash as we drove home.
No comments:
Post a Comment