June 27: Keeping up with my blog while touring tulips in Amsterdam? Or while getting lost in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Or while toasting the Tartan Army in Boston? Easy as a slice of Iowa rhubarb pie.
Keeping up with my blog while hosting my ocean-loving, Uno-playing grand nieces from Iowa? Impossible.
It’s been only 24 hours — and already we’ve clocked two trips to the grocery store, a massive pot of chicken soup, two chopped cantaloupes, two abundant picnics, and an infinite number of waves. 8:30 pm feels like midnight.
But a quiet house at 6 am feels paradise. Coffee was invented for moments like this. (And chocolate.)
June 28: The National Park Service ranger administers the oath: “Now please repeat after me. ‘As a Junior Ranger . . .” My nieces, right hands raised, repeat: “As a Junior Ranger . . .”
“I will do my best . . .” My nieces, side-by-side, intone solemnly: “I will do my best . . .”
“To protect”
“Learn about”
“And explore our National Parks.”
The Park Ranger then gives each girl a Junior Park Ranger badge. The Park Ranger had already reviewed with each girl her application for this honor: a Nature Journal of the things they had experienced with their five senses, an imaginary creature that might inhabit Assateague Island, and a list of activities they had accomplished (three were required; the girls completed seven. Naturally.).
One of the missing activities is a film about the wild horses that roam Assateague Island. If it rains, we will return to the Visitors Center to watch it. At which point, my sister-in-law Susan undoubtedly will say: “Girls, Aunt Carol Ann has seen this movie many times. Let’s just let her sleep.”
June 28: The Junior Park Ranger application invites children to engage in some kind of recreation on Assateague Island. We chose kayaking. I learned about the history, ecology and critters inhabiting the bay side of Assateague Island. I also learned that paddling a long, heavy two-person kayak is far more difficult than scooting around in a single.
Susan learned everything I learned (and probably more). She also learned that paddling a two-person kayak is infinitely more difficult when the child riding in front of you wants to “help” paddle. Susan reported that paddling actually became easier once the child put down her paddle and just dragged her hands in the water. At least now there was no attempt at synchronicity!
June 29: Yesterday morning, when the weather cooperated with clouds, wind and threats of rain, I taught Susan how to play two-person Mahjong. Sure, I slipped her a few extra jokers when we drew our tiles. Of course, at first I helped her determine the most congenial “lines” for the tiles in her rack. Naturally, she misunderstood something regarding one of the lines she was shooting for and called Mahjong prematurely. But, heck, that woman has a gift for Mahjong, and she won every game we played.
Hey, Susan, what are you doing on Thursdays at 1 pm?
June 30: By consensus, we demurred on the beach today in favor of the local library. We would start at the Berlin (Maryland) library for 10 a.m. story time, do a bit of shopping, have a picnic and then attend a 2:30 pm nature talk at the Ocean Pines library.
Things went sideways quickly. (But sideways is not necessarily a bad thing.)
With the story hour tipping toward toddlers, we found the children’s room, a suitable book and our own crowd of kids and adults voicing different parts of a fun picture book. (A librarian invited me back.) Shopping yielded sunglasses, plush sea creatures and the most fetching straw hat I could find. The playground produced a shady picnic table — and an injured arm. The 2:30 pm nature talk? It actually started at 2 pm, which we hustled to reach.
Eventually, a bathroom break ensued — right next to the library’s giveaways. I found a collection of Henry James’ early short stories (mine! mine!) and, on a return visit, a book of daily reflections. I intended to leave it on the shelf. Nevertheless, I flipped to today’s date, which implored the reader, among other things, to experience “the joyful simplicities of June.”
This one caught my eye: “treat your authentic self to the most fetching straw hat you can find.”
I came home with the book.
Bonus: Susan, I and the girls attended a Delmarva Shorebirds minor league baseball game tonight. We enjoyed spectacular weather, abundant (and inexpensive) hotdogs, and sizzling defense. Sherman the Shorebird looked our way.
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Fashioned For Joy 