"I'd rather be a serf than a lord because then I could spend all day at the beach!" ~IJ
Of course he was joking. The real reason (I think) was because
The Story of the World paints an idyllic picture of serfdom: spending all day farming, harvesting fruits and vegetables, eating thick dark bread, and hardly ever eating meat. Whereas the lord would feast for hours upon meaty beasts and then strap on his armor and go to war for the knights. Yes, IJ has an issue with eating meat that has any fat or bone or gristle. It makes him gag.
After our Middle Ages reading out on the blanket in the pasture in the sun (and getting my first sunburn of the year- in
February), we went to the beach. S wasn't able to join us because he is up taking a Taekwondo test with M. We love the beach.
First stop, building castles (you know, to go with the Middle Ages theme this week-although IJ probably wasn't thinking about history by the time we got to the beach).
Second stop, admiring the movements of a sand dollar. I really missed these guys when I lived up by those wild, rocky beaches of our old home.
Wanna cookie? For those who need to hear this juicy bit of D Family lore... When M was the single dad to his wonderful girls L and A, he took them to this beach on a regular basis. When A was about 2 or 3 years old, he asked her if she wanted a cookie. She did. And took a bite of a sand dollar, much like the one pictured above. And ever since then, we have tested the gullibility of our 2 and 3 year olds with this same trick. E fell for it last year.
Third stop, sample seaweed.
Fourth stop, go wading! Doesn't this just make you want to have an older brother? I always wanted one, just like IJ (without the teasing streak- I think he'll out grow it). F enjoyed going out in the water...until her boots filled with cold Sound water.
Fifth stop, Operation Save the
pycnopodia helianthoides! This one was being eaten alive by a seagull. Can you see the seagull foot prints all around it?
This one was trying to get away from the seagull! Look at those cool, cool tracks! A marine invertebrate scientist's dream!
A friend to all creatures, except hungry seagulls (who need to eat too).
As E rescued the second sunflower sea star, F started to melt down. She cried and cried because the "sar-ish" was gone. That was my cue to start heading back the other way. F's boots were so full of water she went slosh-slosh as she walked. But as a true D Family trooper, she walked the whole way back to the van...
The End!
