Sunrise Ruby

This weekend we went to Port Aransas with friends from our preschool co-op community.  It was Ben and Maddie’s first time to visit the beach.

So far Port Aransas hasn’t been affected by the oil spill in the Gulf.  But these oil platforms, which were clearly visible from shore, were a constant reminder of the disaster and of the role of drilling in the Gulf.

Our friends Hazel and her mom Heather, who organized our trip.

Our friend Gabe.

The digging tent.  Our group’s headquarters on the beach.  Maddie, Ben, our friends Shad and Theo, and Nathan.

My sweet Madeleine.

Views from our condo balcony when we woke up this morning.  It rained, and we saw a double rainbow outside our front door. 

I didn’t get photos, but we saw lots of marine animals during our trip: gulls, pelicans, crabs, mussels, small bony fish, jellyfish, and a sandpiper.  Ben and I collected a couple handfuls of seashells, now drying on the front porch.  Ben was afraid of the crab shells on the beach for most of our time there and wanted to be carried everywhere.  He and Nathan enjoyed walking out into the water together, though, letting the waves break against them, occasionally getting a taste of salt water.

Maddie enjoyed digging in the sand, walking back and forth between the sand and the water’s edge, and being carried out into the waves like Ben.

It was a great first weekend at the beach for our family, made even richer by sharing it with friends.  With us on the beach but not in this set of photos were our friends Manue, TJ, Eamon, Cheri, Jeff, Beck, Amber, Michael, Davis and Sammy.

In this photo at first glance I keep thinking that Shad is holding a beer.  But nope, that’s a sippy cup he’s holding, and it doesn’t contain beer.  Sign of the times.

Now to wash babies and beach towels.