Monthly Archives: August 2015

Ahoy, Matey!

East Wind Esme and Compass Catherine and I were treated today to an adventure on the high seas! We sailed with Pirate Adventures out of Oak Bluffs Harbor and had a whale of a time reading the pirate map, discovering a message in a bottle, fighting off a traitorous pirate and finally finding the pirate’s treasure!

Both girls had a fantastic time and the trip was fun for all of us. The crew were super good with kids and had them heave-ho-ing and drinking pirate grog in no time. It was a mix of performance and audience participation and no one was left out of the fun!

Click here to browse a gallery with lots more pictures from our time aboard the Sea Gypsy.

Long Shadows

Leaving the beach late in the day always feels so lovely. Nothing to rush home for, we make the sleepy shuffle back to the car. Shower first, then pjs, then dinner. They should be sleepier come bedtime, but there’s excitement in Harry Potter and never quite enough room for yourself in a shared double bed. Read to yourselves, and again a little more after Mama’s left the room. Finally fall asleep

Bedtime

The photo of the day is an endearing view of the yellow room at bedtime.

Just slightly less endearing was the view after lights-out.

(I left them as they were. No harm in reading a bit after bedtime!)

Shelter

It was sunny this morning when we left home for the beach. A short bike ride and a walk through the dunes later, however, the sky looked much more foreboding. We got a swim in and a walk to the end of the jetty before the sky opened up and the rain started.

Since we were already wet from swimming we weren’t too concerned about ourselves, but we did bring lunch and eating in the rain didn’t sound too fun. I originally spread a towel from one rock to the other, but Catherine had other ideas.

She dragged over pieces of driftwood and set them on top, making a wider framework to hold up the towel. She later added a perpendicular piece to the back for a second towel to block the rain and ‘more room’.

I think she spent more time building the shelter than we actually needed to use it. I loved her quick thinking and creativity and her perseverance through the trial and error phase. We left it up even after the rain stopped and I sat in its shade for a long time. I’m so thankful for the rain as it sparked her creativity and gave her a great reason to build something useful.

The whole process made me think about Island of the Blue Dolphins. I didn’t remember until today that it had been based on a true story, but I remembered loving Karana’s will to survive and her self sufficiency. We’ll probably look for it at the library soon, I think Catherine will identify with her unique ways of solving problems and creating useful things.

Waiting for the Big Ones

Peter snapped this great shot of me and my girl. Just this week she has gained a confidence in the waves that we haven’t seen in her before now. I am having such a great time watching her test her bravery and boundaries. She’s doing so great! She definitely inherited my love of the water!