Have just been remembering some fine memories of Boothbay Harbour, Maine, especially when we first arrived. We had to finish off the school year at home, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We would do our scholastic studies in the morning, and then in the afternoon we'd often go to the beach for our 'Marine Research Unit'! There was a terrific Aquarium nearby which had an amazing educational program for the children, and we had a few friends who worked there, so we had great opportunity to have many guided tours around the place. I was particularly remembering the enormous blue lobster who lived there. He was so.o old! And the cool rock pool, which housed horse-shoe crabs and one of our favourites...the sea cucumber, which never ceased to entertain us by squirting us! Every time! We spent hours and hours down on the beach at Hendick's Head on Southport Island, where we'd find no end of shells and crabs and star fish. At low tide, a group of rocks were left high and dry on the sand, the tallest of these, the girls christened 'Commercial Rock'. I'm not sure that I can remember why! I think they used to play a game that Soe called 'Let's 'tend!' There was always a part for everyone in this 'tending game, and I expect they used to make commercials on Commercial Rock. Telling stories, pretending, collecting treasures...of course, the whole setting was made that more exciting by the fact that the Wicked Witch of the West from the movie 'The Wizard of Oz' had a house just there, down the bay on the rocks, and that certainly added a spicy seasoning! However, if you spent too much time pretending and making commercials, you'd have to swim back to shore, because the tide was tricky, and would rush back in, surrounding all the rocks, before you had time to say 'Shiver Me Timbers!!'
Hannah and Emi were part of the Dolphin Swim Team, which met at 4 pm every afternoon at the 'Y'. Any kid that could swim from one end of the pool to the other could be a part, and they were thrilled and proud to be able to wear those red hooded sweat-shirts with the dolphin on the back. A team to be reckoned with were those Boothbay Dolphins!
On the beach, down by the sea, the whole ebb and flow of it all...a great place to be a child...even when you're old...a great place to be a child!
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I lost my cross that Granny gave me at Hendrix Head, you know, the one they found under the floorboards at Marston, right where the "Gray Lady" had appeared, the cross with the dates of someone's birth and christening, I think. Anywho, I lost it while swimming around commercial rock, and I'm still heartbroken about it. But what a magical time that was, the beach was our oyster! And Mummy our teacher, the best to be had! xo
I was thinking of the gold cross and chain with the mystical date on it all the time I was remembering Hendrick's Head. And how, every time I think of that magical place, I think of it then. Someday, maybe, someone will find it, or not. It's still somewhere, Hanushka, as well as in your heart. x
I always think of that huge old lobster, and his HUGE claw. He had one missing, remember? I also loved the sea cucumbers. I used to squish them until clear fluid came out of their bottoms. I wonder if that hurt them? Kids are cruel...
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