Chesapeake Bay April 2010

We didn't have crab cakes or crab at all for that matter, but we had a blast playing around in the bay a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful day and we were there with some good friends. It was great to get out of the city and drive only 45 min to the beach. As your driving, you are surrounded by heavy foliage on both sides. Then all of a sudden, the ocean appears! We rolled down the windows and let the smell of the ocean real us in (get the pun there? Ya, I'm not that funny.) The homes were colonial and yet beachfront all at the same time. We strolled by old couples sitting on their porches sipping what I can only imagine as sweet tea, or coffee, or anything you sip instead if gulp or swallow. The boardwalk was really cool to drive by....unfortunately we didn't stop to do that. Hopefully next time we can stroll down the boardwalk and stop in the cute shops, or play at the water park. Instead we geared up for hunting. Hunting teeth. These teeth. I'll give... a compliment... to anyone who can tell me that they honestly knew sharks teeth are black. I didn't know they were black. Oh, and they are microscopically small compared to what I thought. Well, in all fairness, "they" tell me that there are some that are 4-5 inches long and are worth hundreds of dollars but I never saw one. Apparently you have to go in caves and cliffs to find them. We resolved ourselves to the small, but equally awesome, teeth that Rusty slaved for an hour to find. It's amazing how many people bring their kitchen sifters and sit and go through the sand all day to find them. I watched as one lady was brought in a wheel chair (most painstakingly by her young grandson might I add) just so she could sit and sift sand. I was impressed with the grandson's devotion.


It is interesting how our interests change as we have children. That day was not about me sitting on the beach or getting a tan (which is needed...badly) or even about Rusty and I taking a romantic stroll (although that would have been sweet), but it was about watching Brylee. I don't think I ever took my eyes off of her because I wanted to see her experience everything for the first time. She just sat in my arms as still as could be for the first few minutes and starred out at the biggest thing she has ever seen. Like me, I think she was captivated by the sound. Then, we put her in the sand and the confusion on her face was hysterical as she tried to figure out what in the world it was. She would pick her hands up and stare and then rub them on the blanket to try to get it off. After only a few minutes she learned the sand wasn't going anywhere, so she dug in and squished it between her fingers and smiled. Then, daddy put her in the cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, freezing cold water. She gasped instantly. It was funny.

We tried crabbing, but lo and behold, it is not crab season. A fact not known by any of the 4 people from Arizona who were there. Really, how do I know when crab are ready to eat raw chicken legs? Apparently not until September. I don't blame them, sometimes I'm just not hungry either. It was really fun trying though and the kids didn't care that we didn't catch a single crab. Kids are easily entertained though. Especially these ones. Well, especially this one. Isn't she cute by the ocean? Ok, she is cute by a trash dumpster, but really, she loved the beach and so did we. Definitely another trip soon in the future. Anyone from AZ want to come?