Like a (non-functional) bridge over...

 ... troubled waters.

Two years ago: In case a two week statewide lockdown wasn't enough ("two weeks? how're we going to survive? how can they do this to us?? how...?), the city shut down the high level West Seattle Bridge on this day, 2020. It actually looked like good timing at that point. I mean, who was going anywhere anyway?!? And "months" maybe meant by the end of the year it would reopen?

Two years later, we realize that two week lockdown was nothing compared to what was coming, and we've weathered regime change in Seattle and DC, gotten vaccinated and boosted if we have any sense, and have learned to keep surgical masks in our cars at all times, slipping them on before heading into the store, or to chat with neighbors. And the freakin' bridge is still shut.

On the plus side, I'm still working from home, more than two years after that started, so I rarely have to deal with the clusterf that is West Marginal Way during commuting (last week it took M and K two and a half hours to go from our house to Capitol Hill). 

It was two years ago today...

 Two years ago today (3/17/20), my company closed their offices and required us all to shift to working from home. 

This wasn't actually a surprise, as we'd gotten our first "we're watching this and will keep you updated" message on 1/30/20. In that one we were told that we could consider a "flexible work arrangement" if we were directly impacted. The next message, on 2/15/20, was an update about the situation and the restricted travel of anyone coming to the U.S. from China, as well as some restrictions related to work-related travel. On 2/27/20 those restrictions on travel were tightened, and on 3/1/20 there was no cross-border travel allowed. Wow did we not have a clue. No one did. Or maybe a few people. 

It's actually impressive that the company was communicating with us so early, and so globally, but then they have employees all over the world. Still, they impressed me then and still do now. The 3/1/20 message said "don't travel at all if you don't have to." On 3/3/20 they told us that the offices were being cleaned every night, and that if we didn't feel comfortable coming in, or if we needed to stay home due to school closures, we could work with our manager to coordinate working from home. On 3/4/20 the official recommendation was to work from home: "Please work from home" and while not a requirement, it was a "strong recommendation."  On 3/12/20 we were told to "Please work from home effective immediately." I had already begun doing so around 3/6. And then on 3/17, the offices were closed, a "hard close" which meant even those who preferred to go into work could not do so. This was the beginning of the last two years. The expectation, at that point, was that working from home would extend "through at least April 15." Ha!

Meanwhile, on 3/13 and 3/14, K and I went to a horse show where she did quite well. Few people were wearing masks, but there was a lot of air circulation, and to be fair, at that point it was hard to get masks. We also knew almost nothing about what we were facing. Handwashing and sanitizer were the key tools we had. We were hesitant, but she really wanted to go, so we did, wondering if maybe we were doing something completely foolish. 

There were also the first runs on supplies in the stores. Toilet paper!! Rice!!! Oh my!

Waiting to get into Trader Joe's, 3/13

No Quinoa!! Aaack!

How were we going to last until April 15th?!?

It's been a long, long, long time...

 Like 9 6 years? Yikes! 

To be honest, some of the post reduction has been intentional. As the girls got older, I began to feel less comfortable sharing details of our lives, their lives, without their expressed willingness to have those details be shared. But I had intended at least an occasional post about what was happening in my life, like the two years we went to Kona so that I could paddle in the Queen Liliu'okalani canoe races over Labor Day weekend. This was in 2013 and 2014, and the first year our team came in 3rd in our division (not too shabby, given the size of the race and how many different teams from all over participate), and then also placed 1st in our double-hull division. The second year we came in 1st in our division (even less shabby if you ask me) and then again 1st in the double-hull the following day. 

2014 award ceremony

But I never got around to it. To be honest, a new job (in 2014), and growing girls, meant less and less time for any sort of extra curricular writing. I honestly don't know how single parents manage. I'm not particularly suited to multitasking when it comes to family/house matters. I stress while cooking, don't do well hosting gatherings, and in general need M to cover my back more often than she needs me to do so for her. In any case, I recently shared some of my old posts with the girls and we all enjoyed them, laughing out loud at times, and I got what felt like the world's best comment from K: "You know Dad, these are actually good, they're pretty funny." I'll take that!

But it got me thinking about possibly doing more writing, and one way to ramp up on that would be to begin posting here again, on occasion. The risk is low, given my audience is minuscule to begin with, and likely has dropped by 50% (so roughly 3 readers remaining?). And it seemed fortuitous that we just reached the 2nd anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, in that this gives me a convenient focus for at least a couple tries at new posts: "Two years ago...."

So, I'm going to kick it off with a try and see if it's any fun any longer.

... i picked the hard way every time...

or, "if I had a feather..."

This morning we did the spelling words that we didn't get to last night due to the meltdown over not being able to get crutches to play with (independent of any need for crutches).

And doing spelling meant insisting on doing it with a quill, because, you know, 'arry Pot'r and all that! But how does he manage to write so clearly?* And did he also have permanent ink?

in which we work on "i before e except after c..."

And another, clearer view:

"except when it sounds like a..."

*(dad's theory - Harry had a writing double!)

... ride, 'Arry, ride...

... upon your Nimbus stick... or, "Mount up, Harry Trotter!"

The current obsession in our household is with Harry Potter. Or 'Arry Pot'r, as we attempt to say. Combine this with an on-going fascination with all things horse-related, and we end up with some unique creative play. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

K is a reader. I am too. We all are. K is also very sensitive to violence or any suggestion of violence. And I am too. So I get this, I'm sympathetic. She's also disinclined to stretch herself much. She doesn't embrace new experiences. If she had her way, we would never repaint, never move furniture, never change a thing. Except maybe to get some horses to put in the back yard.

She will read just about anything having to do with horses. Or anything that she's already familiar with. She is not especially adventurous, in other words. So she'd rather reread Thoroughbred #22 a fifteenth time than branch out to something I'm recommending but which she's unsure of (example: The Good Master).

She has "known" for years that 1) she did not want to read Harry Potter, 2) it was too scary, 3) it was (probably) a "boy book", 4) (a bunch of other reasons I can't recall at the moment. But at some point L decided she wanted to hear the first Harry Potter book, so M started reading it to her at bedtime. They were nearly through with it when K got sucked in too, and once they were done, L & M watched the first movie while K insisted it would be too scary and so she and I watched "Mr. Dobbs Takes a Vacation" which is an odd Jimmy Stewart movie full of early 1960s "humor" that K seems to love. I think this was the fifth or sixth time we've watched it. L & M moved on to the second book, and this time K was listening from the start and liked what she was hearing. When they finished that book, they all (we all) watched the second movie, K with some trepidation but knowing the story, willing to give it a try. She loved it (just as she'd loved the book), and immediately wanted to watch the first movie, so she, L and I did. Then K went and read the first book. And then second book. And the first book again. And all the while, she, L & M were working through the third book.

"just 10 more minutes!"

Now all K wants to do is watch Harry Potter movies (the first two especially - the third one didn't really grab her fancy). And play horses.

Which leads to something I like to call "Harry Trotter."

As near as I can tell, listening in from the kitchen while the girls play in the living room, is that they are in a stable, and the horses have names like Dumbledore and Nimbus 2000 and Fireball and Snape. They wear robes and discuss other students and classes like Dark Arts and play quidditch disparage muggles and ride horses and brooms and have created an imaginary world that combines the two seemingly disparate worlds in a way that I love. And don't quite "get."

But that's ok too, because I'm a parent and they are playing and being creative and damn, I love that.

... me and you, and you and me...

or, "just another Sunday morning in WS."

This weekend we were actually all in town together. Same place, same times. It was nice.

Friday night K&L convinced us that we had never gone out to eat for M's birthday, so we went out to our neighborhood pub-food place and had burgers or fish&chips or squash enchiladas. At the end of the meal K sat up and said, "Now that is what I call a good Friday night!"

Saturday M took the girls shopping and I got some work done on the house, finishing one of my two "absolutely going to have this done by the end of the summer or my name isn't..." projects, which apparently it isn't, because this is now 10/4 and last time I checked the end of summer was a couple of weeks ago. Astronomically speaking I mean. As far as normal people go, summer has been gone for at least a couple of weeks, if not longer. Which isn't to say that it's gray and damp yet. It's been pretty darn nice. But the trees are changing, and the light is more oblique than the summer sun. And the days are getting shorter and cooler, both of which make me sad. Apparently some folks love the fall, the changing seasons. Me, I miss my summer sun and warmth.

And on Sunday L and I went on a bike ride while M planted a tree she's had on her list to plant. K mostly lay about in her pajamas, reading in the oblique light. We also had L's final cross-country "championship" race, which was much like the other two races except that for this one everyone across the finish line was handed a "participant" ribbon.

All of which makes it sound as thought we're something like the Waltons, happy and content and fully aware of all the glories of the world around us. And for the most part, now and then, we are. But there were also tears. Make no mistake about that. There were tears about how there was nothing to do, about how K pinched L, about how no one ever gets to have dessert any more... there were battles about someone sitting on someone else's bed, uninvited. There were disagreements about horses during games, about rules during Yatzee, about who got to have the last of the orange juice....

Which is to say, it was pretty much a normal weekend around here. And right now, normal seems dang nice.

... i can't sleep when i can't sleep with you...

...or, "the bed's too big without you."

I took this last weekend, in Wenatchee:

M is out of town this weekend, and this morning when the girls called me at 6.30 (I was still sleeping, having gotten up at 3am the day before), I discovered that they were together in K's bed and had been all night.  This isn't an unusual occurrence, and there's something I love about the fact that they will snuggle like this. It's  generally L driving the doubling up. She sleeps best when she sleeps next to a warm body (something that doesn't bode well for parental comfort when she's off at college!). She spent most of her first 18 months sleeping happily between M and me, and we used to joke that at least we were going to know when she got home from her dates as a teenager, because she would be climbing into bed with us when she did.

Tonight I just went up to kiss them goodnight before I climbed into my own bed, and discovered again that they were bundled together in K's bed. I moved L, mostly out of a hope that this will mean they'll both sleep longer tomorrow morning. We'll see. I do hate to split them up. For all the arguing and fighting they do, they sure do come through for each other when it counts.

... better run run run run away...

or, "how I learned to stop worrying and love the start."

Being a parent seems to involve preparing your child for life as much as you are able, and then standing back to allow them the space to succeed or fail. Which is a difficult thing to do since you develop this attachment to these little people who've taken over your world. But apparently you need to do this so that they are able to be independent and develop confidence and a sense of themselves.

And this past weekend the girls had their first cross-country meet ever, and despite some serious concern and nervousness (not entirely on the part of the girls), it went well for all.

Having opportunities like team sports is one of the reasons we decided to change schools this year. Their new school has far more options than we had previously, some of which are extra curricular sports.

Neither girl had ever done anything like this before, and as a parent I was nervous for them. It was chaotic, with figuratively millions of children and parents, a high wind at Woodland Park, barely understandable announcers, uncertain courses.... all the ingredients for a perfect day, in other words. The start involves sending 50+ second (or third, or fourth, or...) grade girls (or boys) running full blast down a hill, guaranteed to result in some collisions and falls. Luckily both our girls stayed on their feet and did not, as far as I am aware, push anyone else out of their way.

L ran hard and was near the front of the pack for 2nd grade girls (she was the 2nd of the runners from her school to finish):

on your marks, get set, GO!

K ran well too, and what really made my day was the smile she gave me as she ran past, nearing the finish line:

a smile for dad

We were proud like only parents can be, and the girls love their "official" racing shirts.

There was also the perk of vitamin water after the race, thoughtfully supplied by M.

... just hanging around this town...

(or "what we did at the wenatchee harvest festival")

Our friends were going to Wenatchee for the weekend and invited us along. M already had a weekend planned at Leavenworth, so the girls and I dropped her on Friday and drove on to Wenatchee. On Saturday we went to the "Harvest Festival" which was short on harvest and, really, on festival as well. It was... "sparsely" populated by both attendees and vendors, and we didn't see much in the way of harvest.

But we did get to hang out downtown:

hoodlums, wenatchee wa

... well i tried to fix it friday...

(or "hair today, back from maui")

M has been handling both dropoff and pickup while I was out of town, so this morning she really needed to get in to work early, which left me to tuck in loose ends. She did a great braid for L, but there were hairs hanging out. I convinced L that I could fix them, and twice tried to do this with a "tuck," simply slipping the errant strands in among longer ones that were tightly braided. Both times these slipped out, and we were in danger of a "major hair meltdown" (one of the five or six main classes of morning meltdown, others being "no socks meltdown," "missing glasses case meltdown," "wrong leggings meltdown," "didn't say goodbye to mommy for the fourth time meltdown," and "we're going to be late meltdown"), but then I suggested bobby pins. Or maybe K did. In any case, I worked some daddy magic and we were set.

addendum: the hair apparently came down at school, but the bobby pins stayed in! in my book, that equals a win for daddy (in truth, anything that gets us out of the house in a reasonably timely manner is a win, so I'm not above digging dirty clothing out of the pile if that's what is called for).

... but the centipede he crawl all over your feet...

One of the defining concert experiences of my young life was a show that Kenny Loggins did in the Lahaina amphitheater behind the police station, some time in the late 1970s. We got tickets through friends who got them for free from the radio station, and we nearly didn't go ("we" being my sister and me). We had to work that day, physical work out in the sun, and we were tired. We also started work every morning at 6.30, so weren't accustomed to staying up much past 8. I'm guessing the concert started some time around 8. I do remember the sunset behind the stage, out over the Lahaina roadstead, with Lanai in the distance and sailboats making silhouettes against the light.

In any case, for whatever reason, I was able to convince my generally-not-up-for-this-sort-of-thing sister to go. And it turned out that Kenny Loggins was a fantastic performer. I had liked the stuff he did with Jim Messina, but wasn't a huge fan of his solo work. Still, he could really work a crowd, and we were sitting outside on the grass in the tropical evening, and it was a blast, well worth staying up past 8.30pm for!

But one of the things that happened was people were calling for "Lahaina," the song that Loggins and Messina had recorded. I was enough of a music nerd to lean over and mutter to my sister, "He's not going to do it, it's a Jim Messina song." And I was right, he didn't do it.

All of which is a pretty much unrelated to this video I shot with my phone two nights ago, here in Haiku:

This is a decent sized centipede (compare to the hand that appears late in the show). But this sort of thing doesn't phase me much. Having grown up in Hawaii, I'm ok with most island critters. Centipedes, scorpions, mosquitos, bees, spiders, mostly - I actually dislike cane spiders more than I do centipedes. Centipedes at least run away from you rather than jump AT you when you frighten them. In Seattle I catch spiders in the house and release them outside. When we had a cane spider in a condo here on one visit, M and the girls expected me to do the same. I shook my head and said that they didn't understand, that besides being about 4 inches across, it would jump toward me if I approached it, and it would move "frickin' fast." I moved toward it, just enough to make it run, and it crossed about 25 feet of wall in a fraction of a second. M looked at me and said, "Ok, I get it." We left it alone for the remainder of our stay. It was hidden behind the cabinets in the kitchen, which was fine by me. I do less well with non-island folks like snakes, bears, and lions and tigers I suppose though I've never encountered either of those in the wild.

It's been a gloriously damp visit here, with rain sweeping in from the northeast and making all the lawns green (including Mom's which is unusual at this point in the year). And after years of drought, the island sure can use the water. I've even seen a buffo or two, something I haven't seen in years.

... if you go to... kanaha, maui...

... be sure to take a picture of the flowers on the beach.

(for my friend Kathy, who misses the flower photos I used to post on Facebook before I quit Facebook.)

beach morning glory

(pōhuehue)

At Kanaha beach park, splattered with rain drops from passing showers.

... this could be the first time...

... baby, the first time in this school. Or, "just like starting over."

The girls have just started school again, and this time a new school (more on that in a separate post, if I ever get my act together). But most importantly, a few photos:

first day, 9/1/15

(you may be able to intuit a bit about the new school from the outfits)

 And with a new school comes high stress levels, which we've been dealing with much of the summer, but with increasing amounts as summer ended. It's hard to change schools. K had been at the old school for 6 years, and L for 4, so the change is huge for them. But they're doing a good job of handling it well (for 9 and 7), including occasionally help each other out. For example, later that same week, after M went to work, L had a hair emergency that she decided I couldn't help with. Enter K to the rescue:

I loved that K offered and that L was willing to let her help, and that I had enough time to grab my camera.

What's worth noting, and may go without saying, but I'm saying it anyway, is no matter how "prepared" we were for the stress and resulting behavior, it still caught (and catches) us off-guard at times. The girls hold it together at school, where they're the "new girls" but once at home, things can quickly sour. We've had a lot of tears and meltdowns and blowups, and yet I'd say overall that things are going well. There was concern on their part that they wouldn't be able to do the academic work (we weren't really worried, but they had nothing to compare their previous experiences against) - that's a non-issue it seems. They are able (for the most part - L has had some challenges with the math as it is done in their new school, because she didn't have the intro that all the other 2nd graders had last year), and the concerns don't seem there. But not having a circle of friends, not knowing people, not wanting to be the center of attention, all of that is pretty draining for a grownup, and these are young girls. Luckily, the environment is quite supportive (one major reason we decided on this school) and I think it's just going to be a matter of time before they settle in.

... she's leaving home...

... bye bye... or "how my morning went"

note left on my keyboard

Just before I got in the shower L got mad at me and apparently ran away from home. I was oblivious.

By the time I got downstairs after finishing up my shower, she was reading on the couch, sniffling a post-cry sniffle. We proceeded to the car for the drive to school.

Sometimes the best approach is "clueless."

... sunshine on my shoulder...

... makes great shadows...

Here's my most favorite picture from our time in Ptown, Sunday morning:

post-browsing shadows, 2nd morning

just before heading out to the coast

... paperback...

... reader.... paperback paperback.... - Part One

Last weekend we took Froggie (and the girls) down to Portland for a quick visit where we did the town up right. Or at least "right" from where we sit.

Froggie and the girls ate breakfast at a bakery:

first family rule: never leave the house without at least one book!

second rule: never leave breakfast without at least one double espresso!!

They read books at Stumptown (while we drank coffee):

corollary to second rule: 

another double is good, another double from Stumptown is excellent!

They (and Froggie) went to Powell's Bookstore, my favorite bookstore in the world:

K, as I led her into the "horse stories" aisle:

"I love this aisle! I just want to hug it and take it home with me!"

corollary to first rule:

you never can have too many books!!! 

We walked by the river, found cool stuff and wore ourselves out. We retreated back to our hotel to recuperate by watching HGTV (can you say "Flip or Flop?" this is a show the girls and I just discovered - perfect for when you're so worn out you can't manage to read one of your many new books), by learning how to go for ice without parents, by learning how to use the elevator without parents, by learning just how much your parents will let you get away with....

We walked again, this time to get dinner and to take a grab shot family portrait (don't complain that you already saw it when you get the Christmas card this year):

Nordstrom, Up Escalator

After dinner we retreated back to our hotel for more HGTV, more reading, more getting of ice and riding of elevators. And eventually, for some sleep as well.

more later....

let them grow, let them grow, let them grow...

I'm going to skip all the explanations and apologies about why things have been so quiet here and just post this:

L&K - early December

We barely managed a holiday card this year, but somehow the tree was put up and decorated, and presents bought, wrapped, shook, poked, weighed, unwrapped, played with, and set aside. In other words, it's been Christmas around here and is now nearly 2015. How did that happen?

I have dreams of writing a 2014 wrap-up post, but chances are that I won't manage it, so in the event that it doesn't happen, the short story is that we're all still here, all doing well, all busy with various responsibilities and commitments, and life is good. With all the attendant challenges, victories and dreams that go with a good life.

... you're missing...

... some teeth, that is:

2/3 of my favorite women in the world!

(happy october!)

... you give to me your wah wah...

it's been a while. no excuses, no explanations. nothing... but this:

And now some explanation. We've been busy. That's life. Family, work, and a small bit of paddling (though that is taking a far back seat these days). Life is good, just busy. And things are a bit stressful due to the start of First Grade which is in a new classroom with new people and new things to do in new ways. No more skating along in the same way as last year. Homework! After school care!! It's all good, we're just in the process of adjusting.

Another couple pictures to balance out the first two:

first day of school (9/3)

outtake (accidentally happy)

... i say tomato, you say...

…that our post-bike ride gustatory mystery is solved!

or

What we did this weekend.

It’s Sunday morning and I’m heading out with the girls for a bike ride at Jack Block Park. We’ll drive down in the van and M will run to meet us at the park, and then we'll all ride home together in the van. I’m working on getting the girls out the door before noon.

me: You guys ready? Socks on. Helmets!

K: I'm going to bring my phone with me.

me: Ok…

L: Me too!

me: Ok…

K: Because I've got a lot to do.

L: Me too!

me: Me too too!

(time passes, we load, I drive, the girls talk on their phones, and we approach Jack Block Park)

K: Daddy, can we go out for lunch?

me: Nope.

K: Awwww.... Why not?

L: Yeah, why not?!

me: Because we're going biking.

L: Well can we order something then?

me (getting out of the van): Nope.

K: I'm ordering something! (Opens her non-functional flip phone) Yes, yes, this is K. I'd like order something for lunch.

L (taking out her phone too): Yes, I'd like to order something for lunch.

K: ... some hamburgers, and fries, and some soda and orange creme and mayonaise.

me: ????

L: Yes, pizza and hamburgers and frieds and soda and rootbeer.

me (to myself): mayonaise?!?

We bike, M runs down and meets us, L and I ride circles playing follow the leader, we all skip stones on the water (with mixed success), we all get hungry. M jogs back to the van while the girls and I hop on our bikes and follow.

At the van L announces she wants to walk back home. I look at M who looks at L. K says she's hungry.

M: That's 2 miles L.

L: I know.

K: No she doesn't!

me: Now she does.

K: I meant she didn't know!!

me: I know.

K: What?

M: You really want to walk, L?

L: Yes!

M: I won't be able to carry you if you get tired.

L: I know!

M: You'll walk the whole way.

L: I know!!

me (exchanging glances with M): I have a "feeling" about this.

M (quietly): Me too. (turning to L) Ok L, let's get going.

K and I get into the van and start driving.

K: She's going to get tired.

me: Yup, I think you're right.

K: She's going to want Mom to carry her.

me: Probably.

K: But Mama's not going to.

me: Probably not.

As we drive away I roll down the window and wave at L who is walking next to M. She sees us, smiles, waves back and starts trotting to keep up. She's grinning through the open window, speeding along on her tiny legs, happy as a clam.

me: Watch where you're going.

L: Bye Dada! Bye!! Say bye to K!!!

K (yelling from the backseat): I can hear you!

me (picturing her running into a tree or lamp post): Watch where you're going!

L (running faster now): Bye Dada!!! (waving) Bye!!!!

me (wishing I had my phone out to film this grinning, running, wild-haired girl): Have fun!

I speed up and watch in the rear view mirror as L makes a last effort before dropping back, finally stopping to let M catch up to her, and I think that the last thing M needed was for me to wear L out before they started. And I wish again I'd had my camera to video her enthusiastic pacing of our van.

As we drive for home, I think that I should pull over and wait for them. I see and pass several good spots to pull over, then we're climbing the hill on California Avenue and I realize the chances of M and L making it up there and then the 2nd mile to home are pretty slim, so I turn off and park at the top of some stairs that are the most likely route they'll take. K wants to know what we're doing, then finishes off her book in the first 5 minutes and we're now sitting together, waiting for her sister and mother. A man comes, takes off his shirt and starts disappearing down the stairs and reappearing, panting hard, hands on his hips. He takes a break after each set and knocks off a few pushups. We watch and talk about baleen whales and when M and L are going to come.

At some point K pulls out her phone again and "orders" more lunch.

K:... and fries and...

me (pulling my own phone out): Yeah, this is P. Please cancel that order.

K (horrifed look): No! You can't do that. (yelling into her own phone) Don't cancel it. I still want it.

me (into my phone): We'll skip lunch today. Thanks. Bye!

K: Yes, please. Hamburgers and fries. And a corndog. And soda. Orange Creme. And mayonaise.

me (looking at her): Huh?

K: We're going to get lunch.

me: Soda?

K (grinning): Yeah.

me: Orange Creme?

K: Yes!

me: And mayonaise?

K: Yes. For you.

me: For me?

K: And Mama.

me: Mayonaise?

K (nodding): The beer you like.

me: The beer... (lightbulb) Manny's?

K (nodding and not hearing the difference): Yup. Mayonaise.(big smile)

me: It's 'Manny's.' Like 'manny' except with an S.

K (slightly confused/embarassed): Manny's?

me: Yup.

K: Oh!

me: Yup.

Laughter in the van.

A few minutes later my phone rings. It's M calling.

me: Hi.

not M: What're you doing?

me: What?

now more clearly L: What are you doing? Where are you?

me: We're waiting to give you a ride. Where are you?

L: At home! Mama, they're waiting to give us a ride! (laughing)

me (ready to head home): Ok, we're coming now. Bye!

I disconnect and start the van.

Back home we tell them we were waiting and M tells us that they caught the Water Taxi shuttle because L wanted to pull the "stop requested" cord but then someone else pulled it before she had a chance, so they had to go to a farther stop so L could pull it. M's already got mac & cheese cooking for lunch, and I find myself wishing I had a mayonaise to go along with that.

            on the beach, before the "long walk"