Sand and Sea...and Smores on the Beach

This past week sealed it...I was meant to live by the water. I have always had a peculiar fascination with the ocean. Even my dreams are almost always related in some way to the ocean. Instead of the infamous dream where you are running as fast as you can but can't out-run whatever is chasing you...I am always in the ocean, being chased by something, unable to make it to shore. Maybe I was a shark or something in a past life??? My favorite movies growing up were Jaws. I would watch them over and over again. As a little girl, I always wanted to be a marine biologist. Only problem...my fascination was equally matched by incredible fear. The sheer size and power of the ocean just baffles me. That it has the ability to wipe out an entire town is incredibly scary to me. It's kind of one of those things I can't quite get my mind around. Much in the same way planet earth is just another speck in the universe. We walk around each day as if we, and our beloved planet, are the only ones representing life. Seems rather narrow minded...or maybe I've just had too much time sitting in the sand ;)

Anyway, none of us were ready to come home...but alas, responsibility awaits. I wondered if there would be enough to keep us busy in Seaside for a week...turns out we ran out of time. I knew Claire would get a kick out of feeding the seals, but we never made it over to the aquarium. We did however: have a couple campfires on the beach; swim until our skin was unrecognizably raisin like; take a short but long enough hike to remind me just how out of shape I am; search tide pools for funny feeling sea creatures; celebrate Claire's eight month birthday and first Halloween; and most importantly, watch her discover a whole new view of life as she squished sand between her fingers and toes...and then proceeded to eat it BY THE HANDFUL.