Life's a Beach

My brother called me this afternoon.  He was driving home from school mid-afternoon.  The school had issued an early dismissal, but they did not dismiss early enough, it seemed.  He was driving home in a "blizzard".  He could only see 100' in front of him.  They had thunder, lightening, and five inches of snow in a matter of hours.  Craziness. This was on top of the already 18" on the ground.  Before this latest storm, Indiana had already broken the record for the snowiest winter in history.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that this was my view today.

I know, I know; we suck.

Nor did I tell him we chased the shade today, as
we were still nursing sunburns from yesterday.

Except for Mom; she applied the 50spf and
stuck her face in the sun all afternoon.

We took a walk on the beach to cool off- the water
temperature was only 75.  The air temp was 81.  Nice :)

The water temperature didn't bother this guy.  He had a happy tail as
he was chasing fish.  Only dogs and kids could stand the chilly water.
A dolphin surfaced repeatedly just off the beach, and a little kid
shouted, "Look Dad, it's a WHALE!"  Cracked me up.

I love the coral heads on each end of the beach.  I can usually find
the prettiest baby shells trapped in the pools of water.  Not today, though.

I also love the boardwalk leading to the beach.  There's random pelican
prints, crab prints, seagull prints, and baby turtle prints all leading to the water
Sombrero park and beach is such a pretty place.

This pretty little girl was enjoying the sand and shade today, too.
From Indianapolis, of all things!  Small world.  Not really.
 

It was an absolutely gorgeous day to spend at Sombrero Beach.
Just looking at the water made me anxious for our trip to the Bahamas
in a few weeks.  I never get tired of looking at the ocean.

There's no better way to end a day at the beach than
with ice cream :)  Ellie had the peanut butter fudge,
and Mom and I had the dulce de leche.  It's caramel
ice cream with caramel swirls- O. M. G. !

I made a quick run to the grocery to get the fixins for dinner tonight with the family.  Donnie toiled the afternoon away with Peter on the Agnes conundrum (our auto pilot).  She's being a cranky old
cuss, and I'm ready to deep six her and buy a new one.  Our particular model is no longer made (but, of course).  It's not looking good.  I know Cap'n is thoroughly frustrated with the project.  He also got our tanks filled late this afternoon, and got regs and BC's together for all three of us.  Tomorrow we plan to take Marquesa out for a sail to Sombrero Reef.  Donnie, Ellie and I plan to dive, while Mom and Willis bubble watch.  I got hotdogs to grill for lunch while we're on the mooring ball, then we'll sail back in the afternoon.  That's tomorrow's plan, anyhow.  We're trying to squeeze in all the last bit of fun we can in the few days they have left here.

I made chicken and dumplins for dinner, and we had mashed potatoes, corn, and dinner rolls.  Mom bought a sour cream cake from the deli for dessert, and then we all settled in for a game of chicken foot.

Guess who gets to be dive buddies with Cap'n tomorrow?!
A D O L P H!  He's a little nervous about breathing underwater
so I gave him some Bonine before bed to help him sleep and
calm his nerves.  I assured him he won't get seasick.  Like
I really have any say in the matter.  I, too, have had
my Bonine before bed.  geesh.  I'm praying for flat seas
and gentle breezes tomorrow.  G'nite, y'all!