Mermaids

Last night, just before I went to sleep, they set off fireworks along the beach. I went out to the balcony and sat there to watch them flowering in the sky, reflected on the water. Inside Violet was sleeping peacefully in the big bed in the nice hotel room we got. I missed her. Nothing is as good without showing it to Violet. I imagined her oohing and aaahing with me. They had yellow and purple fireworks that shot into the shapes of triangles. How would one do that? I think I need to learn more about fireworks. Then there were the crackling ones. Those are my favorites, I love the sizzle.

This morning I got up and (grumpily, I stayed up too late) hustled Dad and Susan and Vi down to the beach. Dad sat down under a beach umbrella, but I just threw my stuff down and took V right down to the water. Heaven! Every single time I go to the west coast beaches I expect it to feel like the Atlantic, lapping non-threateningly at my toes. It never does. The water was foamy and grey-green, a little cooler than the air, perfect. Violet was scared by the waves.

"No no no no no!" she started to run back out of the water.

"I'll hold you," I told her. My mom used to do this exact thing to me. I got out above my waist, hopping up every time a wave came. Violet relaxed against me, clinging like a monkey.

"See, first you feel the water sucking you in," I let us drift towards the wave, "then you see the wave gathering up, then you hop right over the wave!"

"Hop, Mommy, hop!" she screamed gleefully. She laughed her gurgling laugh every time I hopped. So I hopped more, and I danced and twirled. "Whennnn you are in looooooove, it's the loveliest night of the yeeeeeeear," I sang. People all around. Sorry, people. Daddy is watching from the beach. He looks relaxed and content; I'm suffused with gratitude to be here right now.

A stray wave hits Violet in the face, so I bring her back up the beach. "See we'll sit right here and let the little waves break over our toes," I explain to her.

"Yeah, toes," she returns. "Big water."

The rough waves uncover little mollusks that bury themselves rapidly in the sand when the water washes away. It's neat to see them go under. One second it looks like the beach is covered with pebbles, the next all you see are clam butts disappearing under the ground. As I have just discovered (I love the Internet), these are coquina clams. here is a lovely picture. Also according to the Internet:

"Coquinas (Donax) live at the surf line and between the pounding waves use their muscular foot to burrow into the sand like mole crabs to feed on microscopic creatures between the particles."

They are reportedly good eating, used in chowders and broths. But whatevs, they're pretty to watch. Yay coquinas.