The Lost Symbol

OK, I may not be reading the "Twilight" books, but I do read Dan Brown.  Quick reads, page turners...
I don't know how accurate Brown's linguistic and symbolic interpretations are but they are what makes the stories enjoyable.  This story starts with a kidnapping and evolves to something more complex.  Of course the perpetrator of this is determined that this is an act of revenge and therefore those who have wronged him must suffer significantly......  The hero and heroine are not sure who to trust as they try to rescue their kidnapped brother and friend.  They are also unaware of the full purpose of the crime which come to light as they interpret situations and clues.

I am fond of character in literature, Mr. Brown doesn't spend much time on character.  But the world could possibly use a few more Peter Solomans.  Peter is the target of revenge.  His sister and friend are trying to find him before the dastardly dude does him in and we discover the nature of their loyalties as they interact.  Peter really has very little plot time, but his is the most fully developed character.  He is admirable in his compassion, generosity, restraint and his cultivation of the greatness in others. 

Recent Reading

I've decided to make a record of my reading.  I know that I like to know what books others find engaging, just in case I every need an idea for a book to read.

I will forewarn you that my reading is rather random.  Our library has this great section the call "Explore More"
"Explore .." is all new books (hence no smoker smell) and they are paper back editions of books that have had good reviews (hence no pulp fiction)  I never know what will be on that shelf, but it is a little bit like browsing a small book store.  Occasionally I find a book not to my taste, inspite of it's initial appeal, but I don't have to keep reading it.

Recently from the "Explore More" collection I read "The Blue Zone" - by Dan Buettner about extreme longevity and the practices that seem to contribute to it.  OK I'm never going to do some of those things - and am not sure that I want to live to be 105, but I am starting to drink more water and eat more nuts and get a little bit more exercise.

The second book from "Explore More" is titled "Islands Apart" by Ken McAlpine.   It is the musing of a man who spent a week camping on each of the channel islands of the coast of California.  Alternating chapters are about trying to find and understand how people find that kind of peace in other places.  He spent time in a monastery, a homeless lunch shelter, a monument to soldiers dying in war,with street performers, and at a preschool.   Some charm to his descriptions of the solitude of the islands and perhaps more insight into how people cope with the conflicts of life in other settings. His concluding sentence is, "the world comes in every hue and we are fortunate to dwell in them all."

I often will find an author that I like and try to read everything the library has that they have written.  I have loved reading Malcom Gladwell, Tracy Kidder, Michael Pollan, Tony Hillerman, Orson Scott Card, Ellis Peters....  Recently David brought home a couple of Card books that we haven't previously read.

"Ender in Exile"  fills in the gaps in the Ender series.  Card has become a better writer over the years.  The characters are better revealed than in the earlier novels.  I love that he has taken a series and retold it from the vantage point of some of the other characters.  Ender is the focal point of this book.  I can't think that there were any great new story lines, just some connections and exposition to exisitng characters.  We see the beginning of the his quest to find a place for the hive.

David also brought home another Card title, "Stonefather."  a charming story set again in a world where people have gifts and talents that are foreign to our world.  A world where your affinity with water or stone rules how and where and with whom you live.  The main character seems to not fit in the world into which he was born and only finds his hidden talent when he leaves home and finds himself in a new setting where his talent comes to light and to good use.  So many of Cards stories are tales of children with impressive talents.  I wonder if he is exploring this theme because of his own development as a writer or recognizes that perhaps all of us have talents, gifts and abilities we do not ever realize we have.  Perhaps there is no "ordinary"

I'd love to hear what you are reading.

Now that I have finished my stack, I can get my library privileges restored and get another load of books.  I wonder what is on the "Explore More" shelves today.

Keep the Old....

.....one is silver and the other is gold.

I have been serving as the secretary in the stake RS presidency.  It has been delightful, but my three delightful friends have been released and I have three new delightful people to work with.  The old vowed that we were going to get together as friends when the release came.  We didn't want to loose that precious aspect of our service.  It is harder than we thought it would be as everyone accepts new callings with new schedules.  Yesterday afternoon we had our first get together.  We just visited and caught up on the things that matter the most to each of us and the challenges and blessings of change.   This pesto cheesecake to spread on french bread was my contribution to the goodies.  It isn't sweet but is yummy.

All is Safely Gathered In

... and the winter storms begin.

The apple sauce is a beautiful color this year.   The extra warmth of summer this year did good things to those red beauties.

Autumnal Color.

This is the autumn color on the maple tree we have grown from seed.  It's parent is a Japanese Maple  named "Bloodgood".  Bloodgood has grown in our front yard for about 25 years.  It's abundance of seeds have sprouted more than a few times.  This one we have kept.  It is not true to it's parent.  The parent has burgundy red leaves through the year.  This one has green leaves tinged with red in the summer and this is the fall coloration.   In the fall the parent's leaves are a less dark red color, but don't have the variation in color of the seedling.  This tree after 5 years is about 5 feet tall. 

These are the leaves of the Solomon's Seal.  They change color suddenly and drop quickly leaving the stems bereft.                                                                             

The cyclamen are not exactly fall color, but they signal fall.  During summer you would never know that they were there.  The corms swell beneath the ground, sending flowers in mid to late August.  The inverted flowers appear before their leaves are out.  The leaves are coming now.  The ants love the seeds of these plants and we find small flowers growing from the concrete joint between the driveway and the garage.  The way they form their seeds is an added bonus.  The flower stems curl up like a spring with a round developing seed pod growing where the flower once was.  This plant had a mass of little springs that the emerging leaves have now hidden.

There is still plenty of green in the woods behind us.  The Cottonwood and Aspen are still green, the big leaf maple is just starting to turn in wonderful yellow.  There is more beauty to come.

North Cascades National Park

We took a 300 mile drive on Thursday.  DER took the day off and we did something we have wanted to do for years.  We didn't do everything we've wanted to do - so we have an excuse to go again.  We going to shoot for another trip in late July next year when the mountain flowers are blooming at Hart's Pass.

Yesterday we took the scenic drive through North Cascades National Park and beyond.  Our hopes were to see Larches in their fall glory.  We may have been a little early, but they were gold near the tree line.  Larches are conifers that drop their needles.   We see them as the occasional landscape plant, but wanted to see them in more natural settings.   We stopped at lots of little overlooks - the reason we didn't make it to Hart's Pass.
This first photo was taken in deep shade by a shaky hand (mine) but I love it anyway.  The rocks on this part of the overlook trail were drenched in moss.  I think DER found the only non-mossy spot.

This is Rainy Lake - the destination of a short paved, handicapped accessible trail.  At the top rim of the cirque you can see some larches.  Along this trail we met two schnauzers named Max and Rainy.  Rainy is 17 years old and got piggy backed to the trail for the first time in her annual trip to Rainy Lake.  On the trail back down from Rainy Lake some gray jays flew right over our heads so close we could feel the air move from the beat of their wings. 

This is the view from Washington Pass.  Well it is really only part of the view.  You walk out on to this promontory of rock and find yourself almost completely surrounded by mountains.  It is stunning.

More views of this area to follow.

At higher elevations the huckleberry had turned it's glorious red.  The granite outcrop was easy to walk on - a very grippy surface.

 

More Washington Pass views with larches.  We were a little late in the day to get the best light for this spot, but it was spectacular - even as the mountains cast their shadows over the valley floor.  DER did some homework on larches.  They are deciduous conifers that don't like competition - hence their propensity for the tree line locations.  Losing their needles helps them survive the cold during the winter.

One of the features of this area are a series of lakes formed by damming the Skagit River.  Diablo Lake is one of these lakes.  Diablo Lake is below Ross Lake which stretches up over the Canadian border.  The tourquoise blue color is typical of glacier fed lakes.

Yes, the  vine maple was changing color, but the sunlight on the maple was hard to comeby and there were not good picture opportunities.  You'll just have to imagine the color licking up the ravines and water ways as if they were aflame. 

I find my pictures a rather sorry representation of the beauty of the day.  I'm kind of glad to know my eye and my heart can still see more than a camera.

Gnome with a View

Labor day included a few hours of labor with a promise to ourselves that we would get out and leave by 1:00. We headed to Deception Pass. The mountains looked stormy and Marysville was clouded in. We haven't visited the Tide Pools at Rosario for many years. Now they have a little marked trail to protect the environment. It is marked with stainless steel bolts driven into the rocks. We were there as the tide was coming in so didn't see much in the way of the larger more exotic tide pool inhabitants. David took this good picture of an anemone with some smaller shells (mussels and hermit crabs and limpets) as the water flowed in and out of this small pool. We only saw one small fish waiting out the low tide. Someone out there saw an eel, but we missed it.


This small gnome has occupied the top spot on the head land that separates rocky Rosario Bay from another small bay with a boat dock. This gnome has a fabulous view of rocky shore line, seaside sunsets and forested mountains behind him. Lucky guy.

The headlands are populated with a mixed forest that includes one of our favorites - the Madrone tree. The Madrone with it's peeling orange bark is a delightful contrast with the blue green water of a sunny day.













(I don't know how I get these underlines - or how to get rid of them)


The underbrush included these bright Christmas red rose hips in contrast with the white of the pearl weed.

Seeds

I have an inexplicable fondness for seeds. The down side of this is that I have a few more weeds than I really want. Their seeds were just so fascinating. I want to catch them just before they let go of their parent plant. I am usually unsuccessful.



These seeds are new to me. David is already asking me where I will put the plants that will result from my wanting to see what they do as they mature. Some seeds fluff up and blow in the wind, some spring away from the plant as if the parent plant is eager to send progeny into the world. Some drop their seeds so gracefully keeping their babies sheltered and close to home. Some stick to the gardeners clothing and piggyback to a new home. Some are beloved by ants and are carried to new locations in the garden far from their origin. What kind of seeds will these veratrum plants be?

This is the fourth year in the garden for this plant. We fell for this plant at our one and only trip to the Heronswood garden before it closed. Since then we have seen this plant in damp soil up in the mountains but have never seen it in bloom until this year in our home garden. I had assumed it propagated by roots spreading, but apparently my assumption was wrong. Will these seed pods be as interesting after the seeds have escaped as nigella or primrose seed pods? Will they fling or drop their offspring? How long will it take for the seeds to sprout? Will I recognize them in the garden or just think they are among the myriad weeds that I pull out every year?

Oh, I love the unknown potential, the small moments of discovery and the generosity of seeds.

She's cute, adorable, sweet, good natured ......

Ok, so I said the word "cute" way to many times. That's what happens to the first grandchild.

But who wouldn't when she smiles and coos. The best time to get her "talking" is diaper time. She works her little mouth so hard to produce sounds.


She met three of her great grandmothers and was declared "perfect" and the "picture of a healthy baby" - Does being more articulate come with age?













She saved her biggest smiles for her Daddy's dinosaur jokes.

Blueberry Stars

Some blueberries have five pointed stars in the blossom end.







We came home from our trip to a heavily loaded crop of blueberries.
Kerplink, Kerplank, Kerplunk.

We also came home to some rather muscular zuchinni and some ripe tomatoes. The big guys found their way to the compost pile and the tomatoes found their way immediately to our mouths.

Ruby Jelly

I've always wanted to try those recipes that call for liquifying currant jelly - now I can. My beautiful currant bush produced about 2 gallons of fruit. That fruit made about four batches of jelly. Help me remember to bring some when I come to visit.

Yes, I know I could have tried those lovely tart recipes long ago with store bought jelly. I just don't buy store bought jelly. David makes fabulous marmalade and our raspberries are productive enough for jelly during the first week of July when they bear their heaviest. And blackberries grow wild on the ditch bank and this town used to be known for it's strawberry farms (all houses now) and there are still some great locally grown berries. (If all you've been eating is supermarket berries from California, Mexico, etc.... I am truely sorry) Living in "berry land" makes buying jams and jellies very unnecessary.

I have also learned to layer plants to start new ones. My currant bush has been the parent plant for several clones. I have given most away, but have kept one that just began to bear this year. In a couple of years it too should be mature enough to be loaded with fruit.

Food Dreams

I don't normally dream about food. I only a "foodie" by marriage and parenthood and I had food dreams the other day. Ahhh this was so good I have to share. No pictures - sorry about that - we ate it all and went back for seconds. Though the recipe calls it a salad we ate it like it was a main dish. This is a meal that won't heat up your kitchen as it takes almost no heat.
The recipe, in it's original form, came from a column in the usaweekly magazine by Pam Anderson. There is room for lots of variation.

Moroccan Couscous & Chickpea Salad.
1 cup couscous
1/2 cup dried cherries (you could substitute, craisins, golden raisins, or cut dried apricots)
1 cup boiling water

Pour boiling water over couscous and dried cherries, cover and let sit for about 5 minutes

2 T olive oil
1 Large orange bell pepper, cut to bite size pieces (we used a red pepper)
1 Large onion, halved and sliced thinly (we used a Walla Walla so it was a sweet flavor, a red Burmuda would be pretty, and notice that the recipe doesn't call for a sweet onion)
1 1/2 tsps. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Heat Olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add spices and salt and pepper as they cook. Add this mixture to the couscous and cherries.

1 16 oz. can chickpeas, drained

Add the chickpeas to the couscous mixture.


3 T olive oil
3 T rice wine vinegar
3 T orange juice concentrate

Whisk these ingredients together and pour over salad. Toss to coat.

Makes six side dish servings.

We ate this at room temperature.
DER took the left overs the next day after they had been in the fridge. He reports that they were OK.

The recipe called for chopped fresh cilantro - we left this for last in order to cater to our individual preferences. DER likes it and I'm not so fond of it.

2000 miles and worth it!

We returned a couple of days ago from a memorable trip. We went to Rexburg to meet our first granddaughter. K & M had a baby girl they named Sally Elizabeth. She was born on 7 June 2009 and weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. We think she looks like her daddy though her hair doesn't look like it's going to be red - time will tell. As you can see she is a beautiful little girl. What you can't see is that she has a sweet nature.

DER and S stayed a day in the burg then left me to hopefully be useful and went on down the road to see the older sons and "the grands" - I missed seeing the rest of the family but loved the extra time I got with the baby and K & M. K & M are going to be good parents.

We are smitten.

I love summer

Reasons to love Summer

1. Eating from the garden. Starting with the Aspargus which doesn't need anything on it if you eat it right after you pick it. It's season is almost over. It is time to let the stalks grow to nuture next years wonderfulness. Please note my well composted bed. Also note that the fennell seeds that sprouted from the compost have been removed. There were probably a couple thousand fennell seedlings. Sigh.... compost just doesn't get hot enough around here to decompose those tough little seeds.


2. Eating from the garden deserves more than one spot. The Rhubarb season starts with DER's birthday pie near the end of April. The Rhubarb is wonderful and doesn't need as much sugar as some varieities. This variety, whose name is long forgotten, gives so generously and is lacking that "green rhubarb" flavor that so many people dislike. We've had a couple of pies and a cobbler and given some away to rhubarb fans in our acquaintance. The plant is still vigourous and does well in this cool summer climate in the Northwest. We'll be eating rhubarb goodies most of the summer and have some put away in the freezer for rhubarb cake through the winter months. Yummmmmy.

3. The bees are energetically buzzing the raspberry and blue berry plants - more wonderfulness to look forward too.

4. Sleeping with the windows open and hearing bird song when I wake up.

5. Western Tanagers have been flitting in the alder tree with their bright orange heads, which are amazingly well camouflaged for orange.

6. The "fluff" of the cottonwood trees drifting down like a warm snow and gathering along the edges of our world.

7. The need to weed seems to slow down.

8. Eating outside

9. and .... best for almost last....Long daylight hours, especially in the morning - and most especially when I am teaching seminary and it is day light instead of dark night.

10. and .... "bestest for lastest"..... Those long road trips to see various family members that this year, for the first time, will include a grand child. Yipppeee!

Changing Traditions - Suiattle River Road Hike

What Makes these holes in the bark?

Why are these sentences underlined? hmmm?












Our long standing memorial day tradition has been to go to Seattle for the Folk Life Festival. We've enjoyed music and dancing and crafts from around the world - and great street food. Our observation in recent years has been that Folk Life is a great place to be if the weather is a little bad. Too many people come out to the festival if the weather is good. Today was a great weather day for the Northwest - almost hot for a few hours in mid-afternoon. So we didn't go to Folk LIfe. We went hiking instead.




DER found a hike appropriate for our winter conditioning. Along the Suiattle River is a road that is not longer accessible to cars. Because the trail is a former road bed, you don't have to watch where you place your feet, the trail is companionable wide and being near the river there is not much elevation gain.

Inspite of the moss in the pictures, it was not as damp as we would expect for here, but it was nice to be out before the trailside plants get covered with dust. We went about two and half miles up the trail to a campground that is not longer accessible and speculated on what a good beginners backpacking trip this would be with kids. You could even bike in to the campsite with only a few portages. One portage for a cattle guard and one for a large muddy puddle. The river has washed out the road in a few places so parents would want to be sharp eyed and do appropriate shepherding of little ones. The pictures above and below show the first road wash-out and the creek near the campground.
Of course I'm remembering the camping trip with a crawling Nathan near a river. I didn't enjoy it much - too worried that he'd crawl right off the little bluff into the river. And we try to forget the messiness of crawlers in the dusty dirt of your usual campsite. So maybe not a trip for toddlers, but still a possibly good trip for kids.

The rural meadows on the way were yellowed with shining buttercup and the yellow iris that loves wet lands was in bloom. The drive was as good as the hike.

Leading and Following

David has a friend at work who has started ballroom dancing with his wife. They invited us to a "dance party" - another name for a sales pitch, but it included a group lesson on the fox trot and an evening of dancing. We agreed to sign up for the five dollar intro lessons which included one group lesson (swing) and two individual lessons for us as a couple. We asked them to teach us the rumba and give us some tips on leading and following. The teacher was sweet and helpful. The group lesson in contrast to the first group lesson did not have any men with alcoholic courage, so it was better. Group lessons mean you rotate around to all the possible dance partners in the room. It made me appreciate my husband, who smiles sweetly, smells clean (in more ways than one), looks at you instead of the floor, doesn't step on your toes, and recognizes the beat of the music ...... In spite of the unpleasantries of the first group lesson, we did enjoy ourselves and it was good to have someone help us a little bit.

For years, I've been complaining that DER doesn't lead because he expects all dances to be like folk dances with a set pattern of steps that both dancers know. He counter complains that I cuddle up too close for him to effectively lead. The teacher helped us do better. My cuddling prevented the tension necessary and he often forgot to lead or didn't know when to give the cue. I wonder where else in life tension is necessary.

Of course, after the short series of $5 lessons, they try to lead you into signing up for more lessons at the regular price by making it awkward to decline. We declined - hopefully with enough kindness and sensitivity that the teacher didn't feel like it was about her as a teacher. But we might think about doing a short series of lessons some other time. Now if we could just find a place to dance more often so we develop some kinesthetic memory.

Tourism at Home

Mom and Barbara came for a visit. I don't think Mom would have come without Barbara so I am grateful for her willingness to travel to see us and to bring Mom. I had pretty much resigned myself to the idea that my mother would probably never visit us again.

We did lots of fun things. David took the week off. We went whale watching. Gray whales are not as exciting as orca's but it was still a chance to see whales and it was still pretty cool. We saw cormorants, grebes and bald eagles along with the whales. This picture is of cormorants on top of pilings as we pulled into the dock. The whales are too hard to get a picture of, but we did get to smell whale breath. The gray whales feed on the bottom and have kind of a mucky smelling breath.









We went up to Skagit Valley for the daffodils blooming in the fields. That is the picture that is at the top. It would normally be tulips by this time of year, but it has been a cold winter. The peak bloom will be beautiful in a couple of weeks. This is the largest bulb producing region in the world and is pretty impressive when in bloom. These are some early tulips.





















Our outside activities were somewhat limited by the weather, but we did manage a little walk in our nearby woods where the fungus was fascinating and the trillium was in bloom.




We also spent a little time with a stroll in the Arboretum. And I as usual enjoyed the shaggy bark of this tree - whose name I can't recall.










Our Camellia won't be blooming this year because of the cold winter. But there were some beauties in the Arboretum.









We went to Pike's Market where the flower stalls were also beautiful with daffodils. They even air brush some of them an orange color, but the ones in the picture are all natural.

We walked along taking advantage of some of the free tastes along the way. Expensive balsamic vinegar flavored with blackberry could have had us standing around that booth for a long time and then there are the Chukar Cherries (chocolate covered dried cherries), ummmm.



We went to the glass museum in Tacoma. It is pretty cool to watch them blow and shape glass in the hot shop there adn walk across the bridge of glass. I'll have to wait for Barb to send pictures of that one as I didn't bring my camera. Look for Tacoma Museum of Glass on the internet and you can see glass blowing on the internet.

We also took the Boeing tour. Kids - it's much better than it was when you guys were young and we took it on a spring break. It was pretty impressive to see five planes in one building. Again -- no pictures - they will confiscate and not return your camera if you try to take it on the tour.

Lots of fun activities, good food, and a restful round of "Jeeves and Wooster" in the evenings. Almost too much fun for one week.

Conservation

This pretty white sand on the drive way is the stuff that came from the bottom of our water heater when we drained it. We finally did what the plumber recommended several years ago when we replaced the water heater. He said it extends the life of the appliance and conserves energy. We are now convinced as we estimate that there was about an inch of percipate in our water heater. The good news is that it is nice and white - not rusty.

We've made a few other conservation measures this last winter. We replaced a toilet. Again talked with the plumber to find out what low flow toilets work the best and this one is far better than it's predecessor. We changed the aereators in our faucets to one gallon per minute aereators. I don't notice it anywhere but in the kitchen when I'm filling a pot of water for pasta. We also replaced our shower heads. This one I do notice because the spray pattern is not as wide as the old one. The final thing we did was to turn down the heat on the water heater. We figured with only two of us living here we used less water than when the whole family was here. I notice that my shower water is not as hot, but it doesn't seem to make very much difference in the pace at which we do other things. We have enough hot water for the two of us.

Results are a little hard to quantify, because we also went from having young adults with their "late night - lights on" life style to having just two of us pretty much on the same schedule. However, our heating bill went down $14 a month. Some of it had to be our conservation efforts.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

We had this yummy soup at a restaurant a couple of years ago and were eager to make it at home. We've experimented with good flavors and various ways of making it and have come down to a basic plan that is enhanced with whatever herbs you like with these flavors. This is easy, but not specific. Make it how you like it.

Last week WinnCo had red peppers on sale for 68 cents each. That is a great deal around here when the normal winter price is about 2 dollars apiece. So I loaded a big bag and took them out to the grill to roast them. Turn as the skins blacken and blister to get all sides roasted. When they are blistered all around, put in a paper bag and roll it closed. Let them steam in the bag for a 20-30 minutes or so. Scrap the skin off and remove the stem and as many of the seeds as you want to remove. Blend it to a puree. If you do a bunch at once you can freeze the puree in whatever size portions you want. I now have a bunch of red pepper popsicles in my freezer - almost instant soup.

Alternatives to grilling the peppers include oven roasting, roasting on stove top over a gas burner or in a cast iron pan. I just think that I can do a lot more peppers in less time if I roast them outside on the grill.

For the soup combine red pepper puree with chicken broth and potato flakes (or real mashed potatoes if you want) to get the combination of flavor and density of soup that you like. Add herbs that you like. I kind of like thyme and a very little bit of oregano with snipped chives to garnish it - but that is what I have in the garden.
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Hellebores

The crocus are done but the Hellebores are out. It is the Hellebores natural habit to drop it's head and the petals and the tough sharp edged leaves provide a dry haven for the pollinating insects.











These Hellebores are in the backyard, which is usually a couple of weeks behind the front seasonally because of the shade of the house. The one in the front by the crocus does not flourish.








I am pleased that these plants are reproducing. They seem happy in their home. They were "pound plants" they came from the discount plant rack of distressed plants at the local "we sell everything" store. The moss and the lichen looked beautiful today on the trunk of the Japanese maple.

Lines in the Sand

=
I was chatting with my mother a few days ago and this memory came up. She didn't remember, but I did - possibly because of the disappointment. When I was about five years old, we traveled by train to San Diego. The train trip was another vivid memory of my childhood, but is not what I want to remember today. My memories of San Diego include it's wonderful zoo and the giant tortises there. Perhaps the tortise was the most memorable animal of the zoo because we would ofen see box turtles on the road side in Kansas. We would occasionally persuade mom to stop and pick them up and we would bring them home and try to feed them. They didn't adapt well to captivity; if all the children of Kansas did what we did, the box turtle population would have been descimated in that baby boom generation... We went to Disneyland and I found it scary. I've never become a rider of carnival rides possibly because of that early experience. None of this has anything to do with lines in the sand however.

We went to the beach. We walked out on the hot dry sand, none of us in beach clothes, filling our shoes with sand. We reached the point where the waves had darkened and hardened the sand. Dad leaned down and drew a line in the sand and said, we'll go when the waves cross this line. I suppose there were many reasons why Dad might not have wanted to spend very much time at the beach. Perhaps he didn't want his kids returning to his sisters house with clothes full of sand. Perhaps there was a plan for something else later that day and he didn't want to get us all cleaned up again. I suspect it was hot; some of us sunburned easily and Barbara was a baby. Perhaps the biggest reason was that he was a non-swimmer (as were we at the time) and wasn't comfortable with water play. Whatever his reasons, the very next wave crossed his line - and he really was ready to go. We persuaded him to wait for a few more waves, but not many. Drawing lines in the sand can be disappointing, waves wash them away sooner than you think.