2017 Life Logs, Day 193: Swim Lessons and Back to Wood Neck
Date: Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Weather: Partly Sunny with Threats of Rain; High 84, 68 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

On Monday, we went to Wood Neck beach and marsh in the afternoon and yesterday Jonah made a request that we return there today. Sam and Ollie agreed, so after swim lessons at Falmouth Heights Beach we came to my place for lunch and then headed on to Wood Neck. On Monday we arrived an hour before low tide which made negotiating Lazy River a little difficult. So today all three boys agreed that they wanted to get there today closer to high tide so they would have more time to ride in Lazy River. Lazy River is the outlet from the marsh side of Wood Neck to the Buzzards Bay side. It is about 30 wide for a bit and then widens out as it gets closer to Buzzards Bay. Today we arrived three and a half hours before low tide and the ride in Lazy River when we first arrived was just perfect. In past years, it has taken two people to let the boys ride the river. Mark would always stay on the marsh side and get them started and I would be on the Buzzards Bay side to catch them if the ride got too rowdy for them. But now, with the aid of boogie boards and arm floaties, even Ollie can negotiate Lazy River all by himself. That allows me to position myself near the outlet into Buzzards Bay where the flow gets really rowdy. I am amazed at the level of their independence from last year to now. The boys had a great time floating down the ‘river’ on boogie boards and then floating down with just snorkel masks on to watch the bottom for crabs as they floated. We played in the surf off the beach on the Buzzards Bay side and then ended our day in the marsh. I mentioned that it was Jonah who requested this trip. He got new snorkel gear for this birthday and he wanted to try it out. This is the same Jonah who is afraid to put his head in the water, but he made great strides this afternoon. He only intentionally bobbed under one time, but he did swim along with his face in the water with the snorkel gear on. He is definitely making progress.

Jed has to make a work trip to Sweden in August and on Monday night, he and Heather made plane reservations for their whole family to go with him. They will be in Sweden for two weeks in August and Camp Oma will be on hold for those two weeks. The Goldstones are all very excited about this trip. They are flying into Norway and taking a train from Bergen on the west coast of Norway to Oslo. From there it is short distance to where Jed will be teaching for a week in Sweden. Heather has all sorts of activities planned for herself and the boys during Jed’s work week and then they will spend a week together as a family exploring. What a wonderful opportunity for all of them! They leave on August 12, only one month from now. The summer is going so quickly.