When we were driving back from Key West after Christmas, we stopped at the beach on Bahia Honda key to paddle in the surf. Joe went from being a kid who was seriously concerned about whether he should set foot in the water to one who was wading out solo in about 30 minutes. He also looked for shells, set them in his first sandcastle, and brought these home with him.
We had a great time. I found a crab in knee-deep water, just a ghostly arc of displacement from above but a lovely putty color when lifted up into the air. Joe got to touch him, and then we set him back in the water. I also touched a Sea Hare, sort of by accident, and only found it it was an animal when a deep purplish plume of ink spurted out across an area about 3 feet square.
Joe did not want to leave. It was a great day for him and us too. We saw pelicans, and the crab, and the sea hare. No fish -- at least none we saw -- and Joe found that a little odd. (Acquariums are packed with them!) But we all felt like we had crossed a sweet benchmark -- the first beach trip he can talk about. And we still do.
Now that we live back east again, we intend more of this sort of thing. This summer, we'll have tide pools to enjoy, and our own (cold!) beaches. This is our resolution to ourselves.
