School's Out For Summer!

 
I would like to say this has been a busy week, I would like to but it would be a lie, so I won't. The kids finished school on Tuesday, and we have all enjoyed relaxing this week. Relaxing and planning a summer full of fun, fun, FUN!!

Here's one thing on our wish list:

The Tide Pools - One of my very favorite things to do with my kids, and something I always try to take visitors to experience.

--The tiny crabs with spirals on their shells are beautiful. I don't mean their shells are spiral in shape, I mean there are literally spiral patterns in light and dark colors on their snail like shells.
--Sea anemones always make me happy. Their little suction cups are so cool, though generally I advise my kids and friends not to make a habit of sticking your fingers against them. I'm just not sure how it affects the anemones. I know they contain a neurotoxin that stuns their prey. I seriously doubt it would do anything to a person.
--Chitons look to me a bit like unfurled pill bugs. They are little sea mollusks with overlapping plates.
--Pelicans, obviously these amazing birds are not inhabitants of the tide pools, but you can watch them by the hour winging in groups back and forth over the rocks, taking advantage of the air currents. I'm not sure if animals experience joy in the same way as humans, but pelicans and other birds obviously enjoy the experience of simply going with the currents.
--Sea Glass. I know technically, those smooth rounded bits of colored glass, are just litter someone threw onto the beach or into the ocean. But by the time we see them, they are no longer beer, water or soda bottles. They’re treasures from the sea.
--The Rocks of the tide pools hold a fascination all their own. Clambering over them to discover the isolated worlds of tiny creatures, it would be easy to ignore them as something to explore. But these rocks have lives all their own. Formed and reformed by the pounding surf, each is different and fascinating. Tiny crevices hide hermit crabs and other creatures. The rocks can be pitted with holes, or smoothed by the force of the water.

  I owe my appreciation of rocks to my Grandpa Buck, as my cousins called him. He was just Grandpa to me, an enduring influence in my life. Love and miss you Grandpa and Grandma.