Jul 16 2008
Sun In the Fun Or Something Like That
Despite the 70% rain chance, we were determined to go to the beach today. When I say we I mean me + my 4 kids + my sister + her 2 kids + my mother + my 12 year old sister (yes, I said 12 year old sister). Ten of us all together loaded up into two minivans and hoping to God we didn’t get rained on.
It went surprisingly well.
The overcast skies actually alleviated some of the usual shore side discomforts. The kids splashed around, got sand wedged up in the most uncomfortable places, and had a merry time for the most part. With a group this big there are bound to be some conflicts, unavoidable friction between family members. At any give time, it is guaranteed at least one person will be whining, crying, or complaining. Which is fine, especially in the open wide expanse of the Atlantic ocean, but when it comes time to herd the herd back towards our vehicles I tend to lose my patience.
Trying to round my four up is a feat, add three more kids to that, soak them to the bone in saltwater and dredge them in beach sand, and well, it complicates things. It’s like travelling with your own circus, except the train’s derailed and the monkeys are running the show.
It didn’t help that the boardwalk out to the parking lot was overrun with centipedes, lizards, ants, and spiders, so that every five steps we took, someone would shriek and bat at their heads like they were being swarmed by locusts. Also, trying to get sand off a sticky kid, even with the aid of a shower spigot can be tricky, especially if said kid is dead set on eating beach debris.
I think the attendant at the parking gate foresaw some of our difficulties, as she waived our parking fees after a good long look inside my minivan. Big thanks parking lady, you paid for our $.59 cheeseburgers, and that is money well spent.
