So after church and nap time on Sunday, we decided to head to the beach. After gathering our pails and shovels, and flip flops and towels, and chairs and jackets... we proceeded to spend a half hour putting on sunscreen. Finally, we were bound for the beach. I am still getting used to the difference in morning and afternoon weather temps here. We arrived in shorts and windbreakers but pretty quickly shed our outerwear to play in the frigid surf. The locals here mostly wear wetsuits... I was watching the girls build sand castles when some of the local kids body surfing caught my eye. It took me a few minutes to realize that one particular wetsuit had more authentic looking flippers than most. Right there 20 yards from the beach was a solo sea lion surfing with the kids. They also looked rather amazed when they realized he was close enough to join them on their boards. I kept remembering all of those Discovery Channel shows during Shark Week where they explain that most people attacked by sharks are mistaken for seals and sea lions, the sharks favorite prey. At this point I was grateful for the 60 degree water temps and the lack of a need to remind the girls to not go out over their ankles. Our little princesses do not care to be cold. Two years in Altus OK made them think any temp below 80 is frigid.
As I was standing at the water's edge I looked down and saw a freshly washed in sand dollar. Immediately I showed it to M, who after much reassurance that it could not in fact eat her, took it to show her Dad and L and got her pic made with the creature in hand. For M this is quite an accomplishment as she is quite squeamish, about most EVERYTHING. So we were off on a trek to find others... We did immediately find that they are quite abundant on the beach here so we were off to save those washed in above the tide line. M and I must have covered a quarter mile, (a long walk at M's speed) and threw many live sand dollars back out to sea. A very nice local lady stopped to congratulate M on her efforts to liberate the sand dollars as opposed to taking them home in a bucket and "killing" them. Obviously this has just become an important mission, so we headed back the other way to tell Dad of our "expedition" and continue on. Now little do I know what is coming but a stretch of beach where there are literally hundreds of live sand dollars washed in that appear to be stranded. It took all of my best negotiating and diplomacy skills to convince M that we could not possibly save them all. I finally convinced her that another large wave was surely on its way to wash them back to sea and we conceded the battle.
In the course of our stroll, I pointed out the remains of a jellyfish to M and warned her to avoid stepping on said jelly. BIG mistake. Now everything that shimmers or shakes on the beach is a cause of great concern... One day I will learn..
By the time we made it back to Dad, L informed me she was "too tired" and "too messy" and ready to be out of the sand. So wraps the end of another beautiful California day.
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