Soothing The Soul

In the sad days since Dad died we find ourselves again and again seeking comfort. Seeking solace. Seeking optimism.

And I don't know about you but I, for one, have always found that both kids and the beach are the perfect antidote for soothing the soul.

So we went about finding ourselves some kids . . .

Oh, look! A Jelly Roll!

And a niece and a nephew!

. . . and finding ourselves a beach.

We threw in some friends, a couple of coolers . . .

. . . and we had ourselves a lovely, comforting, soul-soothing day.

It was Jelly Roll's first beach outing and he loved it. Loved it. He gurgled and kicked and flailed about all day, happy as a little jellyroll could be. (Pay no attention to that furrowed brow; that's his ever-present look of concentration.)

The kids had a blast too. Uncle Bill took them on the rocks, to the waterpark, and on the waterslide.

The San Diegans left for home this morning, sob . . .

. . . honestly, I don't know how we're expected to cope without them.

[Don't ask me; I have no idea.]

We also had the great good luck to run into our neighbors whose girl suffered the same rare condition as Jacquie's boy. Wobble Boy, meet Wobble Girl.

Those wobbly days are long gone for both these two, though. They are the opposite of Wobble Boy and Wobble Girl now. Now they're Stiff As A Board Boy and Stiff As A Board Girl. Just as it should be.

And Jelly Roll? Oh, he just carried on his horizontal dancing.

Mistah has an uncanny ability to take photos of hot young babes even when he's holding the camera in front of himself, taking his own photo. It's a real talent.

Kids and the beach and the sun and the water and the horizon and a spectacular hot summer day in Connecticut . . .

. . . The perfect way to soothe the soul.