TOO MUCH FUN WAS HAD BY ALL

Sorry not to have gotten back to the rest of my weekend story sooner.  This is the Family Fun portion of the event!  My sister and family just live in D.C., so we try to get together as often as possible.  G and I had a birding trip at Prime Hook on Saturday morning, with a naturalist from Cape Henlopen St. Park.  We mostly listened to warblers and other songbirds in a forested part of the park, as the canopy was too high and thick for much sighting, but after that G and I went north up the Delaware Bay to look for shorebirds.  Of which there were many many, feasting on horseshoe crab eggs.  The D.C. guests arrived late that afternoon, in time to play with the dog in the yard, sit and read, have a big healthy salad for supper. 

On Sunday morning we went in to the beach for an activity we'd registered for at Cape Henlopen - seining in the Bay, with a junior naturalist.  This was an activity for children, but I have to say all the adults got just as excited about it.  They  took turns dragging a couple of big nets through the shallow water, or used handheld nets to scoop up water and stuff.  Then they examined what they'd scooped in the nets, put what was interesting into a wading pool filled with sea water.  At the end of the scooping and saving, the naturalist had everyone gather around the pool while she talked and explained about what they'd found.  You could tell the little naturalists from the rest of the kids - some of them were so interested and so full of questions and ideas.  Everyone had a fabulous time, including yours truly.  I'd never seen a pipe fish before, a relative of the seahorse, and they caught two tiny ones.

After a yummy lunch in Lewes, we walked over to the Vigil, about which I've written extensively in the previous entry.  With pictures.  There was an archeological exhibit, early DE history, being held behind the museum, so after the vigil had ended we segued over there and spent some time while M played colonial children's games with other kids.  Because our lunch had been so healthy, we felt it necessary to go back to the bakery and have cappucino and pastry - it was, after all, a holiday!

On Monday, after a Mexican lunch here in Georgetown, we went back to Lewes and the fishing docks - where we boarded the Adventure II and set out for a Dolphin Watch ride.  After we got down the canal and out past the harbor walls, we were in the midst of a herd of dolphin - they were everywhere, all around the boat, out around us in every direction.  They swam to us, under us, around us;   they leaped in the air, they swam on their backs - we even heard some of their singing.  My sister put a lifejacket on M as soon as we got out past the harbor - and rightly so, because she could easily have jumped right over the rail in her excitement and enthusiasm at the sight of all those creatures.( I may have pictures from this soon.  Oh for a digital camera.  We use an old Minolta, get them developed and put on a disc.  It takes entirely too long in this era of instant gratification. )

It was the best dolphin watch I've ever been on, and it's something I love to do.  Both sons are coming with the grandchildren this summer - we may see more dolphins yet!  I like to do it on my birthday too, it seems a wonderful way to celebrate being alive.

We took a beach walk after the boat ride, and came home to grill ribs and eat another fantastic supper.  The family left after lunch on Tuesday, and we all consider it a weekend to remember.  We memorialized those who have died, and celebrated life in many ways.  It's alllll good, baby.