The ships

Just Friday a ship was grounded on an island nearby. It's GPS went out and it lost the channel. When the tide came in the ship was able to float off the sand bank and head back down the river for inspection of its hull. We had a break in the weather Sunday afternoon. Bringing briquettes and hot dogs and fixings for s'mores, we were joined by some of my dearest friends and their teen age children, to watch the ships pass on the river. Trevor had been wanting to do this outing since we moved back here.

I have to laugh as one of the mom's said that the BBQ probably wouldn't last too long as our children are too old to build sand castles in the sand or play in the water. There was Riley shoving huge piles of sand into a castle with my girlfriend's youngest teen age daughter, while Trevor with his life jacket, which is a pre requisite at this particular beach, was in the water riding the boat waves as they came in. These were the little boats. Everyone has to get out of the water when the big ships go by, as they suck up the water and spew it back dangerously. Trevor always whines when I yell "out of the water" for the big ships.

We saw four big ships. Sunday is a great day for ship watching. I am guessing they are getting up to the boat yard for Monday morning loading and unloading. The first ship we saw was heading out to sea, loaded down with raw timbers stacked at least thirty feet high on the deck. The next ship was headed up river. They are spectacular in size. Their size and girth dwarf the channel.

The view of the river itself is incredibly soothing and seductive. We must be constantly vigilant of the teens in the water who can make reckless choices if not watched carefully. Trevor is fully clothed in his going to meeting attire, now covered in sand and mud from the river. I had told him to toss in a change of clothes, but neither boy really expected to have this much fun with their mother.

Its ironic that we are enjoying this lovely day at the beach with the boats and the weather cooperating, as Tom is at a memorial golf tournament for another family in town who had their father drown just last year at this same beach. The father had his boat drift away from shore and went in after it. The cold water and distance he swam wore him out. By the time he reached his boat he was too tired to pull himself into the boat. He drowned in front of family watching helpless on the beach. He didn't have a life jacket. His children are around the same age as mine.


Just down the beach is a big warning sign. Life jackets hang on hooks under the sign. I always bring two life jackets for the boys when ever we go. Trevor is such a fish and he will push the envelope. When I say ankles he hears knees. When I say knees that means full immersion by the end of the day. Life jackets solve a lot of fighting. Riley may get his toes wet, or sit in the shallows feeling the end of the breakers, but he has no interest in the full wet cold experience of really swimming in the river.

The boys and girls sit by the fire warming up. None of them had swim suits. I had told them to just go in their underwear, but being teens they are too old for that. The girls are wearing underwear a little too exposing under their clothes so they follow Trevor's example. Trevor sets the tone when he just jumps in the river fully clothed in his Sunday best. I sigh and am grateful for laundry machines. We toss another log onto the fire.

One of my friends has brought dessert and salads. She had also brought pork strips with sesame and mustard for Hor devourers. The bowls were empty by the end of the night. It didn't take long to clean them out of the food. We had juice and water for everyone. I was glad that no one brought pop. I like Trevor to see he can get by without pop. He is supposed to be pop free during football season. It is nice for him to see other families are also pop free.

We play Bocce on a hard pack area. It is a great game and can't wait to get my own set. I will have to put in a grass area in order to play it. I am contemplating fake grass for low maintenance. I swung by Lowes earlier today, while the boys were at meeting. I am glad to get them reconnected with bible study and a good group of teens.

I took advantage of a few hours with the boys at meeting to browse the hardware store. I want to look at angle nailers with the floors arriving on Tuesday. $399, I think we will rent the equipment at that price. While there at the store I check out retaining walls. There is a fire pit display. The price of the concrete bricks is only $2.28 a brick. I need 48 bricks for the size of fire pit I want. $118 including tax. I am in the Jeep. The store clerks, it takes two, load up the trunk, stacking the bricks 4 high and 4 wide. The car rides low in the back. I drive slowly and carefully home, where I maneuver the car into the garage backwards and open the back door in the garage to toss the bricks into the back yard as my window of freedom does not allow enough time to get the bricks set up where I really want them. I will tackle placing them on another day.

After unloading the bricks I race around looking for the picnic stuff. I can not find my wonderful skewers. I worry that they may not have made the move. I knew exactly where they were in the old house, with all the fishing gear in a PVC pipe. Now I have no idea. I will have to use short ones from the kitchen.

I am relieved when we get to the beach to find one of my girlfriends as a really cool set of skewers with double prongs for cooking two at once. She can handle feeding my Trevor. Riley loads up with double marshmallow sets for smores, when he uses them.


We ended the night looking for a set of lost keys. These had work and house and car keys
on the chain. The father is very frustrated and angry as the last known person to have them was his teen age daughter, who also went for a walk, creating a lot of area to cover. She could not remember where she had put them. I was sad to have to end a perfect day on a cranky note. My girlfriend whose husband it was, was keeping a low profile. She whispered to me that she would not have relinquished her keys to her daughter, ever. We had to give up looking after dark. My girlfriend drove her family home with her set of keys. It is hoped that an ad in the paper and perhaps going back today in daylight to look that the keys might make an appearance.

During the evening while we sit by the fire, Tom calls to tell me there is an auction at the golf tournament. He wants to know his budget. I cringe a little and give him a figure. It is a charity event. He tells me later few were bidding, but knowing Tom, he did his part to support the cause. He probably entertained the room well.

He bought me a diamond pendant and gold necklace, a delicate pretty thing, totally impractical and lovely. Now I will have to buy a dress to wear with it. He also said he bought a few other things. I admire the necklace and will find out later what else we now own. He said there wasn't a vacation home package to bid on. That is always my favorite for him to come home with.

His team during golf was comprised of three lovely hot women and himself. He was thrilled to be playing well and in such good company. The team came in three under for the tournament. He was quite proud of their score. I could tell he had a blast. Should I worry he bought me a diamond necklace. Nope. I know that boy had a great time.

It was a wonderful Sunday for all of us. Thank you God for this beautiful place and this beautiful day.

Riley woke up sick on Monday. Just a runny nose and a cough. But I didn't argue when he wanted to stay home and sleep. I gave him juice and benedril. No fever so far. He had felt it coming on over the weekend, the runny nose. Trevor had had a runny nose last week. He had skipped practice Wednesday to come home and go to bed early after school. He didn't miss school over it, but with Riley we error on the side of caution and let him rest. It has been a big weekend.