Great Portraits Are Not As Important As Sand Scones And Jokes About Underwear

Our beach house is right on the Pacific Ocean.  And when I stand on the deck and look out I remind myself that the entire U.S. of A. is behind me.  I am right on the edge of the country.

It kind of blows my mind a little.

Then we go about a mile inland to the bay and I sit on the sand and remind myself that the entire country is now to the left of me.

Not quite as mind boggling, but still blows my doors off a bit.

I love the bay for a number of reasons:

1.  The water is not as far away from where I want to sit on the sand, so I can make sure my kids are safe without really having to look up from my book.  My peripheral vision is very good.

2.  The water pull is not as strong so I don't worry as much about my little children getting swept away out to sea by rouge waves.  That would be bad.

3.  There's a really loooooooooonnnnnnnng stretch of beach that Prince Charming can walk out in search of agates while he's thinking of me and wondering if I'm okay back on the sand by the water reading my book and yelling at the children not to get sand on my camera.

"I'm not really thinking of you."
What?
"I don't really think about you when I'm walking."
What are you thinking about then?
"Work."
Work....?  You think about work and not me?
"Nobody cares.  Move on with your story."

Fine.

Every now and then the kids run up from the water with sand on their faces and blue sky behind their heads and I'm compelled to take their picture.  I have 14,573 of these pictures.   It gets easier when you know what to look for....and you've trained them to pose on command.

Girlie comes up and I say,

"Stop right there.  No.  Don't move.  Eyes right here."

And she goes

Boom.  Done.

My son, however, feels that he's had his picture take more often since he's been alive longer and now he's pretty much done with the whole camera thing, so he doesn't look as he's running up.  He just blows right past me to the sand kitchen they've set up in dune behind me and gets working on the plate of sand scones and the sand latte I ordered up before they went down to the water.

So I have to prompt him a bit.

"Hey....Hey!...HEY!  Look over here."

Can you see the flames?  'Cause, I can see the flames.

"Try it again."

"Mom!  NO!"

"Come on.  Your sister did it in one shot.  Just come over and lay down on this log."

This is not working for me.  Forget it.  Go play.

"Thank you...."

But, I know there's a portrait in there somewhere, so I try again.  But this time I start to make jokes....

 ...and talk about underwear....

...and complain that there's a worm in my sand scone, and what kind of beach cafe is this anyway?  Serving sand scones with worms in them.  Sheesh!....

The laugh.  The teeth.  The smile.  The crinkly nose and yummy, hazel eyes just slay me every time, and I have to tackle him in the sand and smooch his whole face until he promises never to grow up ever ever ever.

I love the bay.

And P.S...

Girls rule all.

Loving you!