We woke to a very overcast day and were concerned that our beach plans would be stymied by the weather! Not acceptable! Considering that these were supposed to be 'down days', we had a lot on our schedule. First, the girls wanted Grandad to take them fishing. They have good memories from our last trip and wanted a repeat. I guess that I shouldn't have been surprised when, after returning from the bait shop with a bucket of worms, Charlotte announced that we'd have to find something else to fish with because these worms were now her pets. I will be the first to admit that baiting a hook is not for the faint of heart but I was not expecting the loud, heartfelt pleas that were being made to Save the Worms! Once the hook was baited, the girls were happy to drop it in the water and wait for the hungry, possibly suicidal perch to hop on the hook. Everyone caught at least a couple and so we agreed that we would save the lives of the remaining worms and send them to the happiest place on (worm) earth -- Grandma's compost pile. Everybody wins!
The morning was decidedly chilly so we hummed and hawed about our beach plans for the afternoon. We can't come to Brighton without going to the beach but pneumonia isn't an option either so we compromised by going to the stony beach to skip stones and play frisbee. Wouldn't you know it, the sun came out and the kids took off their shoes and within minutes, everyone was fully submerged (and fully dressed). When will I learn? If kids go to a beach, they will get wet. Not just a little wet. Really wet. It does not matter the weather. So Jack went in too (God bless him) and, for lack of a better option, someone invented Seaweed Wars. For at least an hour, they peppered each other with handfuls of seaweed and had a marvelous time doing it. Kids + water = fun. Every time.
Charlotte got chilled sooner than the rest so joined us land lovers on the shore in time to watch Carol and Grandma play a game that they'd enjoyed in childhood. It's called 5 stone and is similar to Jacks. It takes a bit of practice and dexterity but Charlotte was determined to master it and tried and tried until she got the hang of it. That girl's got grit!
Wet, cold and kinda stinky kids necessitate lots of warm baths and, once everyone was cleaned up, we sat down to a lovely, family meal. Mom's famous lasagne, garlic bread and Cesar salad. Perfect! Can't we stay for a few more days ...
PS - Jack did not find a third wave coffee shop in Brighton but he did find Lola's and they serve up a very respectable americano! Check.
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