Team Gray!

We started our seasonal lunacy–dipping in the icy waters of Lake Michigan.

It’s been good and muggy lately, but not the kind of hot where I say–I will die if I don’t get to the beach today!–

Needless to say, the beach wasn’t my idea.

But, I usually find the offer to go irresistible, so. . .

Friday, Miriam invited us up to the Christian Reformed conference center on Lake Michigan. She had discovered that they were having a homeschool week the first week in September, and had invited our Wednesday play group to that. Unfortunately, that’s the week the baby is due, so I better not risk it.

This past week was families with disabilities week, and she invited us up to enjoy the day with her father and her son Camilo, who are both blind.

It took about an hour and a half to get there. The camp is in between Holland and Grand Haven, which are north of us. The shade and the wind made for very comfortable weather while we ate lunch. Then the kids played on a huge wooden playground for a while, before we all headed to the beach.

The first thing I did, after finding a place to put my ugly comforter and our bags, was try the water. I don’t understand all the white people of all ages lying all over the place. The kids act like they’re not there, and start jumping over them, etc. It’s like a serene scene, with dead bodies lying everywhere. . . except they are potentially grumpy (old) people that you want your children to be careful of disturbing. . .

. . . not that my children would do anything like that. They are a bit too timid from years of fussing to do something like that, but Miriam’s kids have no guile. So, I’m trying to bite my tongue about that deal, and park our stuff as far away from the water and the *dead* bodies as I can. The kids are perplexed about our sitting so far back, but, oh well. . .

I trudged up to the water. It was so cold my feet burned. Esteban squealed and tried to get away. And the older children were sitting in the water at the shore, building castles, moats, etc. All that junk children always build at the beach. I tried to carry Esteban a little ways in the water. He wasn’t having it. My calves started tingling in the cold. I decided to walk back to the comforter.

Miriam hadn’t made it to the beach yet. I’m not sure what she was doing, but I watched as Yanni, Annalese and Linnea made themselves jump and dive in the waves. Xay and Isaac played some manhood game of throwing wet sand at each other, and Simeon joined the volleyball game to our right. Miriam looked so elegant in her long skirt over her halter top swim suit.

She joined me on the comforter, and we talked while Esteban dug in the sand at my feet. There were tiny shells in the sand all around me. Mommy would have loved this. Annalese and Yanni brought back a frisbee full of actual clay. Anna excitedly explained to me how the clay would dry in the sun after you formed it into something.

I told Miriam how Yanni loved clay and was so good at clay, thinking I myself was no good with clay, didn’t like it, etc. Then I proceeded to make things with the clay. I guess I don’t like idol hands. After a failed attempt at a cat face, I remembered the ceramic roses that Aunt Mollye and Grandmommy used to make. I started to make one, and I could do it! I told Miriam about Aunt Mollye, explaining that she was actually my great aunt, but we called her aunt, etc.
Joy and Mani kept filling up a hole with water. Their little butts were covered with wet sand. Mani would lie in the sand from time to time, filling her hair with it. Then she’d go down to the lake and splash and rinse. Joy made quicker trips to the lake. She was careful not to get her hair wet or sandy.

Yanni and Xay were much hardier. They actually got their heads wet! Yanni alternated lying full bodied in the sand and then lying in the water. I couldn’t believe it. Xay would jump in and get his whole body wet, too.

Isaac and Anna, the skinniest of the Glas children, were freezing cold. Anna wanted to lie in the sand and warm up, Miriam told me. This bored Yanni, who amazed me with her Amazon-like body, and her childlike sensibilities. I loved that she would dart in and out of the water, lie in the sand and get all covered, and then back into the water. She seems so much older when she’s at home.

Xay and Camilo spent most of their time building that castle right by the shore. Isaac and Simeon helped, periodically.

It was cloudy on the beach for a while, prompting me to cover my back with a towel, but when the sun came out, it made jumping in that cold lake worthwhile. I waded up to my butt, screaming the whole time. Esteban felt the water on his feet and screeched to be picked up. He was fine digging in the sand, thank you.

I like the warmth of the sun and the icy cold of the lake. I feel torn, because even though I think I am too pale usually, I am a black person, and I’d rather be in the shade than in the sun. Maybe that’s why I like the cold lake.

Yanni complains bitterly of getting too black by having to swim in the Kik pool (an outdoor pool that used to house the swim team in the summer), but is drawn to lake Michigan.

Curtis can really take or leave the beach–usually leave it–but he’ll go with us because we love it so. I want to try it later on, on one of those sweltering days when the sand is too hot to sit in–and we’ll play in the water–maybe it’ll be up to 60 degrees!

When I was pregnant with Esteban, we went over to Ma’s house to hang out, eat, talk, etc. one day. She was in the kitchen watching TV, and she turned the channel to Animal Planet. Obsessed as I was of all things birth, it was interesting to see this show about veterinary obstetrics.

There was a small young dog in labor. The family brought the dog to the vet, concerned about her *failure to progress.* I watched incredulously as the Vet said things like, “she’s in distress,” and “her hips are not wide enough to support birth. . .”

Ma squawked. We watched as they gave the dog a private room to let her labor progress. And it did. Then, they pulled back the curtain and pronounced the dog as a failure to progress, and they had to perform a c-section to save the dog and her puppies.

They blathered on and on about inexperienced dogs and birth. “They’re not going to cut that teeny tiny dog open!” Ma exclaimed.

We had to turn our heads as they performed the surgery. Not all the pups survived, but the Vet talked about what a good outcome, and how necessary the intervention was. The bewildered little girl, the dog’s owner tried to grab her precious pet and run.

Now, dogs give birth on the side of the road everyday without the help of a Vet, but if you decide to get medical help for dog birth, you get a c-section. hmmmm. . . interesting.

The boy and girl still could not speak. One of the Agents piped up and said, “Please–don’t be afraid of us! We’ve been sent by The King to come and get you!” “The King?!,” blurted the girl, pushing up her glasses. All four Agents nodded back at her.

The boy said, “How can we believe you? We’ve never met you before!” One of the girl agents said, “Many are chosen, but few actually accept.” The boy looked confused, but the girl turned to him and said, “I can sense truth in what they’re saying.” The boy whispered to her, “Me too, but we don’t know where they’re trying to take us!” “We’ll make sure you’re comfortable, and if you come I guarantee you’ll be so GLAD you came!” said one of the boy agents. He pushed a button on his hover disc, and it expanded enough for another passenger. He looked at the boy and said, “Come with us. Please!”

The boy looked at the girl, sighed, and unstrapped his seat belt. “What are you doing?!?,” the girl exclaimed. “I’m going,” said the boy. “Wha? you. . . you can’t leave me here!” shouted the girl, and jumped up. They got on the hover discs and flew away.