To be with him was like being a 10-year-old again. Visiting ScientistsĪlmost 40 years ago, my future brother-in-law and I went up to the tide pools and rolled rocks around.
In fact, today’s kids may be doing even better science. Yet, I believe the fundamental science employed by kids is basically the same. What I know, or at least believe, is our Flora and fauna were much richer back then.
I see kids today in my old tide pools doing what appears to be the same type of science we did 60 years ago. When its made of precious gold and silver everyone takes notice and saves. The new generation is able to open these old boxes and toss all the useless stuff. A true sentiment is a fundamental component of jewelry. Why we keep such treasures is often because of sentiment. What treasures we hold forever until a generation comes along that hasn’t a clue as to whatever possessed us to save such a thing. I still have in my attic the black radium dial from the alarm clock that Jan gave me in 1959. I thought it was awesome because the numbers glowed all night. She cautioned me that it was radioactive and not to sleep too close to it. Before they went back to Virginia as a thank you and to remember her by, Jan gave me an alarm clock with a black face and the numbers painted green in radium. The one with the oar and shovel had straight brown hair, talked a lot, had opinions about everything. One of the girls had blond hair, blue eyes, and was soft-spoken. With my new fascinated audience of two we hunted, we explored, and we did tide pools, Dozens of hours in the tide pools with every manner of sea creature: limpets, crabs, blue mussels, starfish, lobsters, and sea urchins. I rather liked being the expert and knowing so much. I was filled with beach wisdom of everything Maine, everything sea, and shore. I knew every rock, every sand dune, all the tide pools, cliff walks, and remote coves. A five minute conversation on the beach and I had two new friends. Kids and kid relationships are easy compared to 20 years or 30 years later. I protested, “No way! Do you have any idea…she’s just awful!” Mom just waved the girl over and said, “You two look about the same age,” and proceeded to ask questions and introduce us to each other.
My mom looked at me and said, “You could use a new friend,” pointing to the girl. Later in the day, I was down on the front beach with my mom on her beach blanket and that girl was 20-feet away shoveling sand. The negotiations didn’t go well, and we both eventually retreated to our cottages. Somehow, she seemed to need an increasingly bigger space and told me this was her beach and to beat it. Early on in their stay, I was at the tidal beach and one of the twins was down there spinning in the water with an oar making big 12-foot circles in the water. We even had our own tidal beach.Ī family from Virginia came with two 10-year-old fraternal twin daughters my age.
#TIDAL POOLS WOW SERIES#
My dad owned five cottages, a series of docks, and a collection of boats. At our end of the beach, we had our own almost private compound. The houses filled with moms and dads and lots of new kids.
#TIDAL POOLS WOW LICENSE#
Every week or two, half the cottages would turn over and cars with colorful license plates from all over the eastern half of the country and Quebec parked outside their new homes. I could say I was tall, dark, handsome, could surf, and play the guitar…truth, I was tall.