Thanksgiving Redux Part 2. This is nearly December?

 I don't know if I will *ever* get used to the fact that in this part of the world (where, I will add, I have lived in one place for longer than I have EVER lived anywhere else) a person can go outside in the winter without a jacket.  Or... I shudder to say... go out in a BATHING SUIT and not suffer instant cold damage, or lose a toe.

I guess there's a part of me that got cold-acclimated as a young thing, and some switch was triggered in my brain that says "Just before Halloween, you'd better be putting away ANYTHING that says 'summer', and pulling out any and ALL garments that will protect you from the coming arctic blast.

So this past weekend, when Kelly said "Let's go to the beach", my first thought was "Sure, but make sure you bring WARM CLOTHES!"

Hence the fact that when she and her friend Lauren were playing on the beach and with the butterflies, they were wearing long pants, and Kelly was giving me these sad-puppy looks that said "I wanted to bring a swimsuit, and you are SPOILING ALL MY FUN"

So, on Sunday, when the weather looked OK, I suggested we re-visit the beach with another group of friends.  Anyone who was in town, as a matter of fact.  Within an hour or so, after church, she had accumulated a car load, and we headed south again.  THIS time, with swim wear, and boogie boards.

Though in my brain, I was thinking "You're planning on going INTO THE WATER?  Are you CRAZY?  It's ALMOST DECEMBER!"

First, a trip through the butterflies.


(I brought a longer lens on Sunday)




Then a side-trip to the duck-weed pond.


And the bendy tree.


But we couldn't take TOO long there.  The girls had ONE THING on their minds...


Seriously, I get goose bumps just THINKING about that icy cold water.
It's not warm water.  Really, it isn't!


I think Kelly nearly sucked in all the air around her with that gasp as the first wave hit her knees.
But did that keep her out of the waves?








Honestly, I had to go put a sweater on just looking at this shot.


Of course, it *WAS* freezing, so they didn't stay in the water ALL afternoon.
They popped out for a bit, to warm up in the sunshine.


...and play with stuff that had washed ashore.  Like a long piece of kelp.


And I always make them jump, when I get a group together.  When they're old and grey, they'll be saying things like "Remember how EVERYWHERE we went, your mom made us jump so she could take photos of us in the air?" and they'll all laugh.  Or they'll say "What?  I can't hear you.  Get off my lawn!"


"The sun, it burns my hand!"


A great group of friends, my daughter has managed to collect.  I hope they're always this close.


Bye bye, again, beach.  see you soon.