BEACH RAMBLINGS

This summer we have set a record ... at least for us. We have been to the beach (4 blocks or so from our house) 5 or 6 times already ... and the summer is only half over. For beach lovers everywhere this probably doesnt sound like much to brag about, but for us it is a great accomplishment. Why? Well ... I (mom) am not much enamored of the beach, to tell the truth. I hate the sand that gets all over us as well as our towels, beach toys, shoes, car, and eventually our house! And then there is the matter of the sun ... the heat of the day can be overwhelming. So ... mom tends to be a killjoy when it comes to the beach ... usually. The kids, as all kids everywhere, love the beach! They would go everyday if they could! This summer I decided time and activities with the kids are more important than my feelings about the beach, and to take the kids to the beach more frequently. Our last visit was this past Saturday. The weather was not quite so hot as usual and we ended up staying for around 3 hours! The kids of course had fun playing in the water, though the surf was a bit rough and care was taken. Also, the kids and mom and dad had great fun and used great creativity to build sand castles of various types and sizes, as well as to construct elaborate tunnels. You can see some of our handiwork in the included photos. It was a great time of family fun and togetherness ... to be admittedly sappy about it! Amazing what fun can be had when one loosens up ones attitudes! Enjoy the photos and look for more to come soon!
o

THE 4TH OF JULY

Today was a busy busy day at our house. In the morning we all went to Fort Clinch for awhile. It was incredibly hot, so we did not stay as long as we usually do. In the afternoon we went over to Mema and Bapa's house for watermelon, and the requisite seed spitting contest. Occasionally throughout the summer, we all enjoy this rite of passage. Everyone has a hilarious time eating the watermelon and then spitting the seeds at each other, or in contests to see who can spit the farthest, or over the fence, or whatever. Sounds weird ... and I suppose it is ... but this is a regular family event with us. The fireworks here were held at about 9:30 pm, which was too late for Natalie to stay up. Also, there would be humungous crowds and it would take forever to get back to our car and come home when they were over. So instead of going to the fireworks show, the kids had some fireworks of their own to set off in our driveway. And as it was, we got to see some public fireworks over at the beach, which is only a few blocks from our house. The kids had sparklers, snappers and various other things whose names I don't remember. We probably spent about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes outside, and the kids had a lot of fun. Enjoy some of the photos that I have included with this post!

BIRTHDAYS, PARADES AND PIRATES

I really meant to do more writing about the "goings on" in our family, but here it is 3 months since my last post! A rather busy 3 months I might add. As such I have included a few pictures that document some of these "goings on" since the last post. In the top picture, Natalie is pictured with a statue of a pirate, located near the docks here in town. We live in a coastal community and the docks are an interesting part of town which we frequent during some of our family outings. We like to go down to the docks and pretend we own some of the huge luxery private yachts that frequently tie up there. And of course, how can pirates not be associated with a coastal community! The statue is of a non-existent pirate, but the town's history includes tales of pirates early in it's history. In the second photo, we are celebrating Paul's 12th birthday with family, cake and of course presents. In this photo he is opening his favorite present, a robo sapien robot. The final 2 photos document the local annual "Shrimp Festival" parade. A huge parade for a small town ... something like 150 groups/floats. The yearly theme is of course something to do with shrimp ... a favored delicasy around here (though I can barely stand the sight of them, much less eat them!). The first photo is a group of "shrimp." The second photo is of 3 of the kids avidly watching the parade. And now ... it is late and I must go to bed. But I promise to try and be more frequent with these things. I am now doing a second blog, having to do with my artwork primarily, so keeping up with either blog is an even more difficult challenge! If you want to see the other one, go to: marlarcreatesstudio.blogspot.com