Capitola and Johnny Cash

Family Beach Day, June 2014.

Three cars, 20 people.  Ellie at home with newborn Abe.

Same size cousins Otto 3, Sylvie 5, Jude 5 almost 6.

Mimi 7, Alice 7 (Alice is three months older and is a mini human.)

Surfing with Auntie Camille. Also Griffin and Sol.

Here's my review of the beach:

The beach is best accomplished the way we used to do it in Hawaii.  Once upon a time my dad had a huge house on Tunnel's Beach, North Shore of Kauai.  We would walk a few yards to the beach and then go back when we were hungry or needed the bathroom.  No long drives, no parking, no hauling all your crap from the car and then twice as much crap on the way back bc kids who helped initially are too wet and cranky.  I love watching the kids play in the waves, but it's just so much better when you don't have to commit on the basis of an hour and a half drive.  And there are so many mitigating factors: the wind, the tide, hunger, bathrooms, weather.  The beach is hard.

My highlight was actually the drive home.  Mimi and Pam were sitting together and Mimi was controlling the music.  She put on Johnny Cash song after song because he is her current favorite.  She and Pam sang along until Mimi turned to Grandma and asked, "How do YOU know these songs?!"   Pam replied, "My dad used to play them on our record player when I was a child! Johnny Cash is dead and he was older than I am!" Mimi thinks Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson and Katy Perry are all contemporaries.