Sushi Daydreams at the Tidepools

One nice thing about being homeschoolers is that you can spend a fine day at the beach with friends and call it "science class." Lest you think we were goofing off, we truly did learn quite a bit with the help of a fun park ranger named John.

The timing was perfect as it was low tide. Scrambling over the rocks and peering into the tidepools, John helped the kids spot anemones, hermit crabs, sea snails, giant kelp, sea urchins, limpets and many more sea creatures.

I told John that limpets, also known as "opihi" in Hawaii, were one of my favorite albeit pricey eats. He gave me a strangely impressed look and started quizzing me on other weird things I've eaten. I confessed to enjoying sea urchins ("uni") only if they were supremely fresh, and he recognized those from his sushi bar visits. Jonathan piped in and said, "Yeah, we eat octopus, too!" By then I'm sure John thought we were certified nuts so I didn't add that giant kelp is really yummy if prepared correctly.

During the rare moments when the kids weren't exploring the tidepools I managed to capture a few beach shots.

Afterwards, we hiked up to a gorgeous lookout point to celebrate a friend's birthday and have a bite to eat. The sushi bar would have to wait.

It was time for pizza.

"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand." Psalm 139:17-18a