This Reminds Me

Archive for July 17th, 2006

We jammed a six-hour-each-way drive to and from Bolivar Peninsula this weekend so the kids could enjoy – per Julia – “fish y crabs”* on the Gulf Coast.   We didn’t think we could afford the resources – particularly time – to do so this year, but it meant a lot to the kids, so….we went.   And yeppers, we had fun!

*Papa Y Julia bobbing in the Gulf….. Like Spanish – “y” in Russian means “and.”  There are actually several crossover Spanish words we’ve noticed (like “noche” for “night”).  Rachel is our best Spanish speaker and coincidentally does the best job as Julia’s “interpreter.”

My long-time friend Konen generously loaned us her lovely beach house (again).   So we could play – shower – eat and rest  – and play some more later.

Julia was so excited before we left and during the drive there.  For days before we left, I had to confirm how many “sleeps” before we were going.  On Friday, she constantly asked how many “clocks,” wanting to know how many hours before we were leaving, and then later, how many more hours until we expected to arrive`.  Movies in the car DVR player were only minimally distracting.

Dozens of “herminy crabs” enjoyed the Woodworth Hermit Crab Daycare, a.k.a. a scooped out sand pit with built-up walls and waterways.  Hannah released them at the end of each playtime.  Well, most of them.  Two fo them joined “Sasha and Misha,” Rachel’s two hermit crabs that she bought at a mall in March and brought with us to the beach in a plastic crab carrier.  No, don’t ask why, I couldn’t tell you.  Yes, Julia named them.

We saw several jellyfish – alive and dead – but fortunately escaped all their stings.  Lois was bitten/scraped/attacked by what we chose to call a “sea termite.”  Wasn’t a jellyfish, but it managed to crawl its way inside her bathing suit and leave several red welts on her abdomen that lasted for about five hours.  The little boy in a family playing near ours was not so fortunate   He was similarly attacked, but a bit….ummmm……lower with screams loud enough to attract the attention of everyone around.  (You could have heard if you’d been listening.)  He, too, was fine in a few hours.

We saw plenty of fish, live crabs, two rabbits and the most common and dreaded of Texas wildlife, our state bird – the Gulf Coast mosquito.

Next year we should have more family time, and we hope to spend more of it at the beach.  The kids chatter about the whole experience – what we’ll take to wear.  What we’ll make to eat.  Which toys Miss Diane has versus which toys we’ll take.  Who sleeps with whom.  Who gets the fish pillow?  When will Julia be old enough to play Scrabble in the evening?  How deep will Daddy let them go out?  How many times will Rachel scream that “something” touched her leg?  (And now – how many times will Julia make silly faces to mock her?!)

We are blessed with truly generous friends.  Keith says Julia is going to be very disappointed when she discovers that not eveyone in America has a friend with a pool, or a friend with a beach house.

Oh, well.  That’s life.  And after all – life’s a beach.