Today has been adventurous and delightful and varied - amazing.

We woke early because of a super low tide in the cove, which provided the opportunity to wade out and visit the sand dollar bed and star fish. Slipping and sliding about in the cold mud with Ruth and Chris was much more fun than it sounds like it would have been. The sand dollars were black and hairy looking when alive, and golden or white when dead. Moon snails as big as a five year old's fist slid along the cove bottom. We saw star fish, pale moon green, sunny gold, purple, and (a first for me) bright blue. The largest blue starfish was as big across as a dinner plate. Crabs -spider, Dunginess, and red rock, scampered about our feet and took cover in abandoned shells and under sand dollars.

After cove time, Ruth and I worked out in Joe's garage gym and I learned new exercises for specific muscle groups, which I will forget if Ruth doesn't keep reminding me. I even, with Ruth's encouragement, managed to stretch backward on the exercise ball and let my head hang down behind me in a simulated back bend. I was sure I would fall off, but did not.

Heidi's best friend, Rina, has a two acre spread with goats, chickens, dogs, cats and astonishing gardens. She grows all kinds of herbs I've only seen dried or in essential oils, including hyssop - one of my favorites for breathing problems. It was wonderful to see the hyssop growing, and the Clary sage. Hyssop surprised me by looking a little like lavender. Rina invited us to come pick raspberries, another first for me. When ripe, they came off right in my hands, without even being pulled. Heidi, Chris, Ruth, and I filled six little baskets with berries (not to mention the many we ate in the garden). As I write Heidi is making raspberry and peach cobbler.

Tomorrow Bob and I fly back to city life, working life - our life. And unfortunately to triple digit temperatures again. It really is paradise here. I don't know if I would know how to live like this, to do all the things that need doing to maintain gardens, boat, house - but I guess I could learn. It is just so sweet here. I expect today's adventures aren't over and will include at least one more ride in the kayak when the tide is high enough. I think it would be wonderful to time daily activities to tide rather than clock.