Most people

Today we needed to get out of town.  We’re members of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Lex starts scuba classes next week and had some new gear (mask, fins, one of Scuba’s semidry suits) to test out, so we packed up some sammiches and fruit and hit the road.

I love Monterey.  I’d move there in a heartbeat.  I never get bored with the aquarium.

I never get tired of this place
jellyfish on the iPhone

On the way to Monterey we drove through Sand City, which is pretty much what you’d think: a seaside town with giagantic sand dunes.  If you’ve been to Monterey, you’ll remember the dunes.  In some spots they are smooth and in others they’re covered with purple and green and blue and orange plants and flowers.  Willow and Sophie both started speculating on how much fun it would be to roll down one of the dunes as we drove by. 

On the way home it was still light out, and as the dunes came into view the girls started to imagine climbing up on them again.  Scuba looked at me, smiling (especially with his eyes), and took the next exit so we could go play.  The happiness coming from the back of the van when the kids figured out that we really were going to go up there made me feel better than I have in weeks.  I’m still thinking about my dad all the time, and I guess a lot of that thinking is me talking to him, so I thought, See?  I told you I’m lucky.  I hope you get to watch the kids for a minute.  Forever. 

It’s a little tricky to figure out how to get to the dunes, but he did it and we parked and we all piled out of the van and stomped up the dunes in the cold, cold wind. 

Sand City sand dunes

Most people who were feeling rather tired and more than a little bummed that one of their insanely expensive dive suits was leaky and maybe worn-out, would probably not have stopped the car to let the kids run around.  Maybe even most people wouldn’t do that on a good day, even.

It was freezing cold, so Scuba and I went back to the car and watched the ocean for a little bit while the kids played.  We maybe had to honk a few times to get them to come back. 

And then we drove home as the sun set and made that pretty orange glow in the air.  We came in and made popcorn and sat down with a beer and watched Alamar with the kids.  It was the story of a boy and his dad, and the boy’s dad, too.  It’s one of the most beautiful films I’ve seen.  Don’t miss it.

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