The Trouble With VBS:

-is, that the props for the opening beachcombing were not prepared ahead of time.
(I did have my starfish, decoration donations, and biblical costumes all neatly
ordered in the church library before I left on vacation)
Yesterday, at 15 mins. before the start of VBS I was combing through a pail of
shells looking for a joined clam shell and running to the SS closet hoping there
would be a white bead (Thanks be to God, there were chunky beads and white ones!!)
This is not good. Whenever I have props - they are lined up in order ready to go
in a safe place.
I wonder if the turtle will be here tonight or the sand dollar tomorrow.
Last minute does not work with this section of VBS.

-is, that I spent time editing, writing and putting together the opening and closings
split between us 2 pastors (which the Methodist minister has never once even
attempted to do, she shows up with her script [provided by me well in advance] in
hand and does it. This is year 5 for me in doing this.)
The week I leave on vacation, the MM tells me that the skits are being done during
snack time and not in the sanctuary during the opening. OK, not a big deal, change
a line to reflect what will come later.
I am knocked off my chair during snack when the MM does a prayer the exact same
prayer I am using for closing. Turns out the book I used for the opening and
closings is the same book with the skits and the M people doing the skits wanted
to follow that book to the letter with the prayer following the skit. I had even
copied the skits,highlighted all the parts, stapled them together, collated each
day and left it with our director. All this work, time and effort and now I had
to rework the prayers. I was furious. With our people and their people.
I could have spent my time doing other things. I have even approached the MM
into taking her turn with the openings and closings, "Oh, no, you write better
than I do!" Sure. She just doesn't want to bother with it and just show up and
do her thing. I am the one to help a little one, sitting with her all night,
helping with her craft, running to get a bandaid for a scraped knee, moving
my ample sized body to all the crazy motions to the songs as encouragement to
the kids I'm with (while she hangs around in the back talking to adults)
She's a Mom and I am not. Maybe, because she's done this with her now adult
child, she doesn't feel the need to do it now. Perhaps, I, who never had
kids, tries to be involved and helpful to our kids at VBS. But I don't
think in an obnoxious way, more low key way.
-is that I have to let all this go and I have for the most part. Yesterday was much better, far more relaxed and fun. It is really all about the kids. And they are having a blast! And so am I because they are really great kids and there have been
no major behavior problems! Whoohoo!!!!!!!

VBS MOMENT:

Our Little Rural Church is located at the Gateway to Amish Country in a region saturated with Mennonites. Well, our VBS this year is the Beach Party and we have been doing the Biblical Skits (much to the delight of kids and very amateur actors!)
The opening skit is where God tells Gideon to go, take a few men, nope, too many, a few less, and fight the Midianites. Our VBS Gideon had a different version and questioned God about fighting the Mennonites!!!!
Wow! We were roaring!!! Midianite. Mennonite. All "ites"!!! I guess fighting the Mennonites would have been much easier than the Midianites!!
We pray there will be no holy war here of Presbyterian & Methodists vs. Mennonites!

ANOTHER MONTH, ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER VBS!!!

Tonight will be my first night at my church's VBS. They started last night, but I was still on vacation.
It will be 3 back-to-back 12 hour days. Today I packed a change of clothes, so I won't look all gussied up for the kids. Everyone else will be in casual clothes!
Since it's a beach theme, I have a t-shirt with a lounge chairs and table, flip-flops, palm tree and sand, There's 2 drinks on the table - (Mai Tai's in my view) but if the kids ask, their lemonade of course!!!!!!
Times like these where it would be nice to be able to run home for a quick, healthy snack, clothes change and maybe, even put my feet up for 1/2 an hour. As it is, I'm 17 miles and 25 minutes from home and it isn't good stewardship to go home and come back. I'm thinking I should schedule a pedicure for Fri as a thank you to myself, for a busy, hectic week.
Well, at least I'll be at a Beach!!!!!!!!!

RGBP'S FRIDAY FIVE (a week late):
All about your blog:

1. So how did you come up with your blogging name? And/or the name of your blog?
I am so utterly fascinated and connected with inukshuks from our times in
Canada, which in the Inuit language means "likeness of a person". Inuit make
inukshuks as signs of good passageways, message centers, to mark places of
good hunting grounds and goodness. I see inukshuk as a metaphor for us pointing
the way to God and God's goodness in our lives, pointing to God's presence
and grace. Thus was born, St. Inuksuk and the title: signs-along-the-way
2. Are there any code names or secret identities in your blog? Any stories there?
LH stands for my dear Lutheran Husband, the Boys: our greyhounds, Ben and Jett,
Little Town - the small rural village where I serve
3. What are some blog titles that you just love? For their cleverness, drama or
sheer, crazy fun?
Presby*Opia, Skewed View, Quotidian Grace, Holy Grounds
4. What 3 blogs are you devoted to? Other than the RevGalsBlogPals, of course?
Real Live Preacher, the other two are RGBP: St. Casserole and Cheesehead
5. Who introduced you to the world of blogging and why?
I happened upon Real Live Preacher, which led me to RGBP. I was fascinated
and wanted to leave comments and try my hand at it. I am self taught, which
means, I really don't know what I'm doing and therefore, haven't learned how
to link or put pictures on my blog. Course it doesn't help that our computer
system is old and not up to snuff!!!!
Bonus: Have you ever met one of the bloggers you read?
No, not yet. But it would be interesting to be in the midst of such
awesome clergy women!

7 THINGS MEME

As seen at St. Casserole's and of course, now tagged!!!
1.List these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
3. Tag 7 bloggers and notify them. Frankly, if you read this consider yourself tagged!!!

*Preached in German in Switzerland
*Planted my footprints in the Bay of Fundy (washed away with the incoming tide!)
*Hiked down the Rothorn twice(two days in a row - 1 a 6 hour hike, the other in 2 hours at breakneck speed since a thunderstorm moved in)
*Designed my wedding gown with my Mom who then sewed it
*Did Synchronized Swim
*Interviewed Walt Wangerin, Jr. once
*Play piano (not as well any more, not enough time to practice!)

I'm Back!!!
Back from vacation up in the Northeast in Nova Scotia. Cape Breton was beautiful. Saw countless crows, 1 deer, a bunch of grey seals, numerous puffins, razor bills, gannets, cormorants, a couple of great blue herons, several bald eagles and not one moose! The puffins are the hummingbirds of the Atlantic ocean - they move really fast, especially when the boat is pitching and moving. Pretty tough to get a picture although LH did get a couple on the video recorder. It was a grey drizzly day but still great to be out to see the puffins.
Our day trip on the Cabot Trail was a picture postcard day with beautiful views.
It rained/drizzled the next day again when we left, so we felt blessed to have had such a fantastic day on the Cabot Trail. Be it known, some of the craft and gift shops leave alot to be desired. The lobster was great, however!!! Even McDonalds (which we usually don't patronize much for a meal had the McLobster (lobster roll) which we thoroughly enjoyed up in New Brunswick. Kinda lobstered out now!!!
Spent some time with dear friends in Mass and visited Deerfield Village on a rather hot day.
Spent a night in Frederickton, two nights in N. Sydney where we saw the ferry to New Foundland and walked the beach for a bit.
Spent 1 hour and 20 minutes in Freeport, ME to visit LL Bean's and the Mangy Moose. LH isn't a Bean person. Had dinner at a Lobster Drive-in, kinda like Little Town's Dariette but serving seafood instead of burgers and ice cream.
Drove through Conn. in some wicked rain that did some damage in New Hampshire.
Visited a winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York - over priced for what it was; a simple red table wine that we consumed that very night in our hotel room! Had the worst dinner ever in NY - seafood alfredo - which consisted of 4 rubbery squid rings, 2 scallops halved and part of one small shrimp amid a bunch of pasta - all for an outrageous price. I complained and got no where. We drove home via Pennsylvania!!!!
Went to the Ceilidh in Baddeck which featured an awesome violionist, a great pianist, and one average male who sang in Gaellic. It was most enjoyable.
Because of the rain we came home a day early. More time to do our laundry, get groceries, throw out the rotting garlic, get oil changes, and pick up the Boys who spa-ed at the Farm.
Memorable was the elderly ME driver who nearly hit me as pulled from the left lane into the right and then drove 20 miles per hour in a 35 mile hour zone with a long trail of frustrated drivers behind him. Finally, I was able to pass him!!!
Such are the stuff of vacations, time away and time apart to refresh and renew our spirits, with new vistas, landscapes, people, food, and experiences.

PULPIT SUPPLY SURVEY
Getting Ready...

On Monday we will be leaving on vacation!!!! I am so ready for 2 Sundays off!!!
We will be adventuring on the eastern seaboard; first to MA to visit our dear friends from Sem. and then upward and upward to Nova Scotia to Cape Breton. We have a date to see the Puffins!!!!
With all the planning we did for South Africa last fall, this one was much easier and we left time and space to explore anything of interest along the way.
So, I will be taking a break for a couple weeks but will return the end of the month with some fresh insights and tales to tell!!!
Still have more laundry to do and retrieve the suitcase from the basement. At least the Greek Letter Airline won't be breaking my suitcase this year!!!!!!
I always have a hard time leaving folks and always hold my church folks in prayer, knowing God has been taking care of them long before I arrived, while I am gone, and long after my time with them is over. But it helps me to leave with a clear conscience and to be open to vacation time and all that God longs to bring me in a different setting and way.
I have also done the liturgy and picked the hymns for the two Sundays I am gone.
Perhaps a quick survey would be in order:

When you leave on vacation and have supply preachers filling in, do you:
1. Plan and prepare the whole service, leaving the Scriptures and Sermon title
for the supply minister to provide?
OR
2. Does the supply minister furnish everything using the order of liturgy the
church uses? (ie: Call to Worship, Invocation, Prayer of Confession/Assurance
of Pardon and Hymns from that church's hymnal)

It would be interesting to hear from all of you as to how this is handled in your churchs and/or traditions.
Since I do the first option, I am exhausted before leaving on vacation planning services that I will not be at and yet feel since I've done all the work, I may as well be at. Plus, there is the service upon my return to plan and work up.
Whenever I supplied anywhere, I requested a bulletin, for the liturgy, and provided all the repsonses and hymns. I also made sure that if there were regular responses (as in Lutheran liturgy) I used those. When I supplied I felt called to lead worship and not merely preach a sermon. Perhaps, I am way off base, but I have heard from a couple supply ministers that they expect the service all planned out and done for them.
Just wondering if my expectations are way off base or I've been doing too much...
In the meanwhile, there are visits to make, a sermon to write, hair to be cut, dinners to be cooked, dishes to be washed, worship to lead, coleslaw salad for the church picnic to be made, packing, cleaning out the van and vacuuming it. There are miles to go before I even begin vacation!!!

ASIAN BEETLE INVASION!
LH and I left Saturday afternoon around 12:45 pm to pick up my van from
the repair shop that had to fix my squealing brakes (after I had new brakes put in 2 weeks ago) and were inching down the sloping driveway. I looked out the window and there were swarms of bugs coming up from the front lawn. Since I already had dusted my potentilla bushes, the burning bush, and the geraniums with Sevin (ack! poison!) in order to do battle with the few beetles I had seen, I was blown away by how many there were flying around our lawn and neighbors' lawns.
My first stop after picking up my van was to the big box home improvement store and right at the cash register in the Garden area were the Bag the Bugs system. Cool. I bought the starter kit and the stake kit. Ran my other errands, got home and put the Bug Bag up around 3 pm. Wow, it drew Asian Beetles like flies to you know what! You could even see them drop into the bag - when the sun hit the bag in the right way. It was fascinating to watch.
Well, last night, LH goes to remove the bag and we estimate it was well over a half pound of Asian beetles. He put up the new bag and if this keeps up, I'll have to go buy more bags. I had no idea there were so many of these nasty buggers around and in our lawn. They have gotten worse over the last three years or then I simply never noticed before how they just come up from the ground. I tend to think it's just gotten worse. Don't know how I would've missed seeing them as I am somewhat attentive to my home and environs.
If we have bagged hundreds of them then there must thousands upon thousands underground. The bag sure beats having to put poison on my plants.
So, those bug bag systems do work, just in case you needed or wanted to know!
We will win this war!!!

RGBP'S FIREWORKS FRIDAY FIVE:

1. Barbeques or picnics (or are they essentially the same thing?)?
Actually, grilling. In my midwestern mind, barbeque is slathered in sauce and
grilling is anything without barbeque sauce. Besides, with grilling you can
bring the food into the cool comfort of your home without bugs and hot, humid
temperatures!

2. The park/the lake/the beach or staying at home simply being?
At home simply being or with family over for eats. Usually, I am busy
preparing food to serve or cleaning bathrooms!!!

3. Fireworks - love' em or hate 'em?
I did like watching the neighbor's (don't know the people as they live across
the meadow from us)fireworks which were near professional. However, they set
them off even after 11pm Saturday night. Ben and Jett were none too happy and
poor Ben barely had his last call outside, when a big boom went off and
frightened him near to death.
4. Parades - have you ever taken part - share a memory...
Nope, not really. It seems to me when I was a Girl Scout our troop took part
in a Bataan Day Parade, idiosyncratic to this one Chicago suburb. Don't
really remember much about it. LH used to take part in a couple parades with
the SAR colorguard. But if it's too hot, you won't find him taking part.

5. Time for a musical interlude - if you could sum up holidays in a piece of music
what would it be?
I've always been partial to Copeland's Rodeo and the larger work of which it is
a part. Can't think of it at the moment. Must be a senior moment!

Hope you had a great fourth!

For Gardeners:

Tomatoes are on the vines, still green and small, some bigger and there are flowers still turning into fruit. My mouth is already watering in anticipation of picking the first ripe tomato and enjoying it's warm, full of flavor deliciousness.
"But then I taste a tomato that tastes tomato.
I pick ripened corn and plop it into a pot of boiling water.
I slice the fresh zucchinis, snap the beans, and sit down
to a feast of flavors
that must be like the feasts of Eden before the serpent said a word.
So I thank you for this garden, God, and for the strength to tend it in
my way, and for my tiny harvest, and for the tang and savor of each bite."
(robert jones)

Weird, but my capital 'j' has ceased to work on the keyboard. Must be the PC demons at work. I may end up typing only small case "j's" if this keeps up.
Oh the wonders, the frustrations, of techno-gadgetry!!!

SURVIVED VBS #1!

Yup, survived the week of VBS and the trio of 6th grade boys!
Friday evening was the program with the kids singing and thank you's. The trio even sang their song and did well!!! Great kids!
I am glad it's over. 1 week of really long days, rushing to get home in order to change. 1 week of not cooking and eating lighter. 1 week of feeding the Boys early. 1 week of the Boys being alone after dinner. (Jett destroyed LH's musical wood frog on the shelf by the front door, which he's never touched before. That happened on night three. Guess Jett was just angry that we were gone every single night!)
Friday was warm and humid so I decided to wear my linen dress and not the VBS T-shirt I wore every night for a week. I had these new Docker's chocolate mules that fit ok in the store and which I wore for a bit at home. They matched the dress wonderfully. I wore them for 1 1/2 hours. My bunion still hurts today. I could hardly sleep that night and had to hang my foot out of the bed so as not to put any pressure on it at all. I have lived with this bunion pain for three days and it hurts. I don't want to wear orthopedic shoes. I want to wear cute shoes. My feet are the curse of my grandma who had horrible feet - wide, bunioned, bent toes. I remember her shoes. I don't want to have wear such things. Why couldn't I have been given her beautiful legs and not her feet? (Sigh) Of all things to pass on to your granddaughter - troubled feet!
But, I do have shoes and some sandals for my feet that do fit and feel ok. I am thankful for those and that I have feet to carry me about my day and upon which I can walk. I pray that God would make my feet beautiful as I announce bring the good news of Jesus Christ, announce the peace which goes beyond all comprehension which he gives, and who offers salvation to all the world. Perhaps, as my feet continue in my ministry they will become beautiful for God.

VBS - DAY FOUR
temps 80 something, humid, post-rain fall

Had a few missing this evening in all age groups.
Got caught in a backup on the Interstate at 4:10 pm due to an
accident. Fortunately, (our God is a providential God!)I was very near an
exit in the town where LH serves. I knew the road so, a gracious semi-truck
driver allowed me to merge from the far left lane to the center land and then
over to the right lane and onto the exit. In the pouring rain I drove past
LH's church and home in time to change, feed the Boys dinner and drive the
same way back to LH's church. One member and child were stuck in the parking
lot of the interstate for 1 1/2 hours. Some truck hit the overpass going
westbound. Then there was an accident on the eastbound lanes because of
rubbernecking gawkers!
Dinner was meatball subs (tasty) with green beans and cold, limp french fries.
Dessert was vanilla ice cream with fudge sauce! Yummm.
The 5th/6th grade does not disappoint. This time it was just the 3 guys. They
had quite a time with their lesson (paralyzed man lowered thru roof by friends
to Jesus). The lesson room was a backyard campout with a "campfire" (fake logs
with glowing light) stars and moon and just 3 lamps on instead of the flourescent
lights, a pup tent and three sleeping bags. The guys crawled into the bags as
if to hear a bed time story!! After the story and discussion, they created a
mad lib of the story with people going to see Jesus with sore "earlobes", sick
"corneas" and broken "eusophaguses"!!! The paralyzed man was lying in
the "highway" and his friends had to carry him to the "bathroom"!!! It was
downhill from there and a whole lot of fun. The house where Jesus was
a "googleplex" of a crowd had gathered and it was as big as a "blue
whale"...etc. There's no bible story like a jr. hi's version of the story!!!!!!!!
The rain held off and everyone had rec outside! It was rubber chicken football!
The singing went a bit better. However, now the main theme song is just lurking
in my head!!!!
I am glad that tonight will be the last night! It's been great and the children
wonderful with no real problems. Friday night will be their singing program.
I am tired, although the exercise of going up and down stairs has been good.

O OPERATOR - INFORMATION PLEASE!

It was a quiet morning except for the 2nd call in two days from some mega pages phone listing company. I told them I didn't appreciated being called every day.
The next call was from some woman who wanted to reach Renown Local Door Company. She had to call the church? Was the Library not open? Graciously, I looked up the phone number and gave her the number.
The things we preachers get asked!!! I'm so glad I went to Seminary, received an MDiv and was ordained so that I can look up phone numbers for folks!!! At least, I was useful to someone today, even in the very ordinary and mundane task of looking up a phone number.
How did God use you today?

VBS UPDATE:

temps 80, sunny
Great night for VBS!!!
The kids actually got to have rec outside!!! The little ones decorated the
parking lot with chalk, the older kids played games!
Dinner - small sub sandwiches, celery with dip, a couple potato chips and
watermelon - hmmm...the watermelon tasted really good
One of the 5th/6th graders invited a friend so there were 5!!
Craft was decorating a small white plastic frisbee.
The service project was decorating cookies for a hospice as the volunteer
spoke about all the different volunteering she's done. And the kids didn't
get to eat any of the cookies ~ and they weren't all that disappointed.
It is a good experience to do something for someone else without expecting
something in return. That we help and do things for others out of love
for God, for them, just because without seeking a reward, although we do
get rewarded by feeling good for what we have done. So, I thought it was
a very good lesson.
The singing still leaves alot to be desired. I keep praying they will know the
songs and actually sing on Fri, evening for the program!!!
So, there will be another fun-filled night tonight.

CALVIN BOBBLEHEADS

GA is holding out on the rest of the church, namely those of us who are home and unable to attend GA. We want our Calvin bobbleheads too!!!
Perhaps, we can all flood GA with requests for Calvin bobbleheads (willing to pay for them of course!)!!!!!
So, here's our challenge, PUCB - Presbyterians United for Calvin Bobbleheads -
let's make the powers-that-be in our denomination know, that these Calvin Bobbleheads should be made available to all Presbyterians!!! (Later we can advocate for Zwingli, and Knox and have a complete set!! - Oh, Luther has been available for a few years from OldLutheran.com.)
So, let's go, PUCB & Presby bloggers - let's free up Calvin Bobbleheads for the masses!

VBS CONTINUES...
temps upper 60's, again rainy

Day 2 of VBS - more kids tonight, woohoo!!
5th/6th grade class finally has a 5th grader!And another 6th grader.
1st/2nd graders are the largest class typically and this one is no
exception.
Dinner - sloppy joes, baked beans, carrots and dip (I had carrots for lunch!
by now I shouldn't need my glasses anymore!!!) and pineapple chunks.
Games were indoor again and used the beach balls they colored in crafts. Also,
the 5th/6th graders tried The Knot - and both times had a triad that just
couldn't unknot! Sometimes, you just when you think you have it, you don't.
Cooperation was key - to work together to solve freeing everyone, to give, to
bend, to step over carefully/gently.
Music - still was a bit weak and disorganized
Superhero - was a volunteer from a ecumenical community service center: food
pantry, legal services, clinic, etc. Since we collected cans of
food and the focus of VBS is service, 4 5th/6th graders carried the
bags of canned goods out to the car for the volunteer. Nothing like
living out what one is learning!!
The kids are super and having fun. This is a blessing!

Let VBS Begin...
temps upper 60's, humid, raining/drizzling
VBS at LH's church began yesterday evening, after an afternoon of light storms and rain.
Good things: Great helpers, super kids, easy craft,
I escort the 5th/6th graders - three 6th grade boys last night
not one fifth grader. The standing joke for the evening was at
every station, the guys said "Don't start 'til the 5th graders
get here!" (Ha Ha) Had to explain that the 5th graders were phantom!

Wish they were better things: the music leader (who probably being nervous)seemed
unprepared, dinner (turkey/cheese sandwich - actually
it was ok, it's just that that's what I had for
lunch!), indoor games.

Tonight: the forecast is for rain early evening, looks like indoor games again.
Wonder if dinner will be better tonight? Hope I can keep up with the
6th grade trio!!!
It really is all about the kids, that they have some fun, and know they are held in a love deeper, greater, wider, higher than other they can ever fully know. Seems like we, adults, need to know that and be reminded of that too!

VBS ANYONE?

So, like a couple weeks ago, LH comes to me and says would I like to help with his VBS since they are short-handed this summer. One couple moved to another state and one couple will have a new born baby. What can I say?
Since my VBS is not 'til the last week in July and isn't running concurrently with his, I will be the dutiful pastor's wife and help for the week escorting youngsters from activity to activity. We won't get home til 8:30 -9 pm and that makes for 12 hour days for me. Lucky me! I get 2 weeks of VBS this year! Yehaw! Maybe I should ask LH if there's a pedicure with my name it after his VBS?!!!?
I have a t-shirt transfer that I have to iron on my shirt before Sunday. So far, that will make 4 VBS t-shirts with one more to make for my VBS, for a total of 5 VBS t-shirts in the closet adn two new t-shirts I had to buy this year. I should make a quilt with all the VBS t-shirts by the time I'm retired!!! In the meantime, they do make good gardening t-shirts!!!!!!
I pray it won't be another 90 degree week since LH's church doesn't have air conditioning.
VBS? Bring it on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEKEND REFLECTION:

Friday evening we went to a piano recital at the "Presbyterian Harvard of the Midwest" or so several sem profs called it. One of my parishioners, a HS teen, is a musically gifted and talented young man. The program was varied from Bach to Chopin to Bartok to Debussy and MacDowell. The Chopin pieces were flawless, including the encore piece. Each piece unique and different in style. He was quite poised and wore a tux with tails and his fingers danced on the concert grand Steinway. It was a most enjoyable recital and an evening well spent and to support this young man.
I told him that playing the hymns for Sunday must seem so prosaic!!!! However, playing for congregational singing and accompanying a choir is much different than performance playing. He is versatile enough to handle them all. What a blessing this teen is to his parents, to our church, to the world.
It made me wonder what LH's and my children would have been like. We are both musical, although not of the caliber of the aforementioned teen. Would our child have had some musical talent, done well on the SAT and ACT, been an avid reader, or surprised us by being good sports? There are times, that I wonder about the children we could never have and the chasm opens inside with an unfilled longing that is almost unbearable. I will leave this world, this life, never knowing who our children would've been. I would like to have known them. I'll just bet I would've liked them in addition to loving them as a parent. But I will never, ever know.

BEACH TRIP RGBP'S FRIDAY FIVE:

1. Ocean rocks, lake limps? Vice Versa? Or it's all beautiful in its own way?
Both rock! Each has it's own unique beauty and I find water healing for my
soul.

2. Year around beach living: Heaven or the Other Place?
I could live at a beach year round. Although, probably more at a lake than
on the ocean with N'oreaters and hurricanes.

3. Any beach plans for the summer?
Yup, good ole Cedar Beach, WI right on Lake Michigan. Hmmm...wish I was there
right now! Well, and Cape Breton, NS where there must be some rocky, craigy
beaches - we'll find out!!!!!!

4. Best beach memory ever?
Port Renfrew, Vancouver Island, early morning, very foggy and quiet. I am
taking a stroll on the beach in the fog in the company of a grey whale
mother and calf. It was as though she followed me in the water along the
beach. I couldn't see them with all the fog, but I heard them snorting through
their blowholes. It was a beautiful morning with the grey whales.

5. Fantasy beach trip?
Secluded beach on a private island for a couple days of doing absolutely
nothing, but going into the water, strolling the beach and lounging with a
cool drink in hand and no one to gasp at the whale in swimsuit!!!!

BONUS: Share a piece of music/poetry/film/book that expresses something about what
the beach means to you.