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Tramping!

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A few weeks ago, Simon and Elijah decided to take a three-day tramp in the mountains. Simon was between jobs, and Elijah had cut his hand and had a week off work, so they took off. Elijah took a lot of pictures with his phone, and shared them with me. Here is Simon, taking off up a river valley.

This picture needs a bit of explanation! The two of them had a thing going where they left their fingerprints on each trail marker. They figured that, if they got lost, someone could come along and dust all the trail markers to see where they had been!

That is the Top Trent Hut ahead. It was their goal for the first night; they had lunch at Elizabeth Hut.

This was the lunch stop on the second day.

Their second night out was spent at this hut, the Tutaekuri Hut. A French fly-fisherman joined them there for the night. They walked out from this point and arrived home early in the afternoon.

Here are some video clips Elijah took. They’ll give you a better idea of the terrain.

Fly-Out

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Simon has started a new job, since his time at the dairy farm came to an end. He is now picking moss. I don’t know where else in the world sphagnum moss is harvested, but the West Coast of New Zealand supplies a large share of the world’s supply. This moss grows wild in the swamps here, and harvesting it is a big business. Simon is going along with a man who has been doing it most of his life and loves the work, learning from him. He came home from work one day last week and told me they would be doing a “fly-out” the next day, and we should come to watch. I had planned to stay home and get some work done here, and do some school, but I decided we would have a field trip, instead. Sadly, we arrived just too late to see the bags flown out, but we learned a lot about the rest of the process! Another time maybe we’ll get to see that part.

This is a patch of moss in front of Simon’s boot. This is a thin spot, not worth harvesting, but because it was raining we didn’t want to go much farther. Anyway, he said that the mud gets pretty deep the farther you go into the swamp, and we didn’t want to get that dirty! They have to cut the gorse out, and then they use pitchforks to pick up the moss, cleaning mud and sticks out of each forkful before putting it into the bag.

These wool bags are filled with 200 kg of moss. Two are filled side by side, and when they have enough to fill a truck with 72 bags, they call in a helicopter to lift them out. The helicopter can lift two at once. Simon said that at first it was a 40-second turnaround between dropping off one set of bags and the next, and by the end it was 50 seconds, since the helicopter had to go a little farther.

Close-up of some of the moss.

The moss is trucked to the sheds. These are long, low buildings with clear roofs and lots of ventilation. The moss is spread out on these tables, made of bird netting fastened to frames, to dry.

After it has dried some, the moss is put through the kiln. This used to be a tobacco kiln, but is now used solely for moss. After the moss has dried enough here, it is sorted again to get out any more stuff you don’t want in your hanging baskets, and baled in an old wool press. The original 200 kg now weighs 11 kg.

Simon took a video with his phone of part of the fly-out. He told me that a lot of static electricity builds up in the cable. He unhooked the bags that were loaded onto a smaller truck, and said that he got shocked with every set of bags!

Orana Park, Again!

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We went to Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch twice in the past, but it has been a long time. We needed to go to Christchurch to pick my mom up at the airport, so Gayle and I decided to take our younger family (we have four older children and four younger, separated by four years) to the zoo. We spent about five hours walking around enjoying the animals. What makes Orana Park really stand out, though there aren’t very many animals compared to most zoos, is that we got to watch many of the animals being fed. We followed the schedule and saw every feeding for that day.

The meerkats were given eggs for this feeding.

Though the African porcupines normally sleep during the day, they came out eagerly for their dog biscuits!

Baby emus are cute!

When we arrived at the otter enclosure, they were standing up, begging in high-pitched squeaks and whistles for their fish!

All four children watching the ducks on one pond.

I’m not sure what type of birds these were, but they had a nest in the moat around the rhino enclosure.

Everyone’s favorite part of the zoo visit was feeding the giraffe! We were given olive branches, which we held up so the giraffe could strip off the leaves.

This is the baby giraffe–he’s about a year old.

They had fun feeding the turkey and chickens!

The lion feeding is always fun, too. This was the first day since Covid started that the truck was used to feed them. Only staff were on the truck for the trial run, but they plan to start selling tickets to the public again soon. Two of the three lions in the enclosure remembered this, but one didn’t seem to.

Tasmanian devil

We were very close to the rhinos while they ate their special treat: lucerne (alfalfa) hay.

I was talking to one of the zoo volunteers at the rhino enclosure, and happened to notice this nest right above his head. Not sure that was a good place to stand!

The children loved feeding the trout–and the ducks love the trout food! I tried to get a picture of the trout, but my battery ran out right there.

October 2022 Photos

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As usual, I have a number of photos from October that didn’t fit into their own posts!

Gayle often walks somewhere with the little girls on Sunday afternoons. They like to go down to the bridge, and one time he took a picture of them on the sign for our little town.

One evening, Miss Joy requested that someone take a picture of her holding Princess!

One day, we saw helicopters flying over the river. The next day, they were flying over it again. We watched closely, and saw them following the riverbed exactly. We couldn’t figure out what was happening, but then we started hearing jet boats, as well. I searched online for awhile, and finally found information about a jet boat marathon that was happening. One leg of it was up the Grey River, and into the Ahaura! We went down to the riverbed to watch the boats go back downstream. They move fast!

Our heifer Bluebell had her calf in October. It was a little bull, so we decided not to keep him. We were glad that the farm Simon was working on wanted him for breeding!

Someone gave a battery-powered car to the family in whose home we meet for church. The little children love it! It can be operated with pedals and a steering wheel on it, or by a remote control. Here, Miss Joy and another baby were riding while one of the older children operated the remote.

I think these pictures are actually from September. The greenhouse was looking pretty lush! Since then, I have ripped out the old lettuce and planted peppers along the right-hand side.

I did an experiment with onions this year. The ones to the left were planted from seed directly in the ground in May. To the right, the top tray is ones of the same kind that I planted in that try in June, and the others were a different variety, planted in the tray in July or early August. We set them all out in the main garden at the same time, in September. I am hoping for larger onions than usual! So far, the ones I started earliest are doing best. The ones started in June mostly died, and the red ones, started last, are doing fairly well.

This is how I plant onions. I dig a shallow trench and lay the roots in it, then cover them with soil. After a few days the plants stand upright, and, theoretically, start growing!

Book Review–Tricked on the Tracks

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Finally! I was delighted to receive a copy of the fourth book in the Brady Street Boys series. Tricked on the Tracks is every bit as absorbing as any of the previous books in this series. Once again, the three boys find themselves in a predicament – but this time they have an adult along, which makes a huge difference.

At the end of Noise in the Night, the boys had just figured out that the doctor they were trying to find had caught a train, and become a hobo. Now, the boys were more than ever determined to find Dr. Jefferson. They began by checking out the hobo jungle near the train station in Elkhart. There was no sign of the doctor, but eventually they got some information from two other hobos.

Dean, the boy who tormented them and then gave them a clue in Noise in the Night, promised to help locate Dr Jefferson. Now, Dean is missing too. Suddenly, Terry Gary and Larry, and their uncle, find themselves in quite a predicament. Well they end up accused of kidnapping – or will they die of thirst first? I’ll have to admit that this part of the story is a bit far-fetched. It sure is exciting, though!

I know my boys will enjoy reading Tricked on the Tracks as soon as we get a physical copy of it. They have enjoyed the other three books very much, and they are looking forward to reading this one, too. I like the way the boys’ parents teach them about God and how to live. The theme that runs through this book is long-suffering. While that topic is not mentioned as much as the fruits of the spirit they studied in the other three books, it is illustrated very well. The family had a good discussion about longsuffering near the end of the story, and the boys understood what it meant. If you want good, clean books for your, especially, 8 to 12-year-olds, be sure to try out the Brady Street Boys series. These are high interest stories with good morals but not in a preachy way. These books are also fun. All the way through this one, there is a refrain pointing back to a statement near the beginning that “Larry reads too much for his own good.” You will have to read the book to find out what exactly this is referring to.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

To buy your own copy, go here or here. Be sure to read the first three books first, though, or this one won’t make as much sense. Oh, and if you place an order from the author’s website soon, she’s having an early Black Friday sale, with all her books except the two newest ones on sale with a deep discount!

Product Review–Brilliant

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Well, this is my very last review for the Homeschool Review Crew. Due to various circumstances, the Crew will be closing. I’m going to miss this! And, surprisingly, my children will, too. When I told the school children that we would no longer be getting things to review for school, they were all unhappy about it, which surprised me because they griped so much about “things to do for review!” When it was no longer an option, they all admitted that they enjoyed the variety.

We were given one year of access to the Premium Subscription to Brilliant, an interactive web- and mobile-based learning platform. Because the courses that were featured were not ones I thought my children could use right now, and because we were at the end of our school year, I opted not have my children actually use this program. Then, I was given access and started using it myself—and regretted that decision! I had a lot of fun with it myself, and could see how it would have benefitted Mr. Sweetie (age 13) and even Mr. Imagination (age 10). 

One of the courses I tried out was Geometry Fundamentals. It began with the very simple concept of area, and how to compute and compare areas. Only one tiny concept is presented at a time, in the form of an exercise with a multiple-choice answer. Next is a section about angles. I got started working through it this afternoon to refresh my memory about how the program works, and got distracted, going through a lot more questions than I had planned on! As soon as one question is answered, a “continue” button comes up and you move on to the next question. There is a “hint” button with each problem. If the wrong answer is selected, a button comes up to show the solution, or else you can just choose the “continue” button. A progress bar along the top of the screen shows how far you have progressed through the lesson.

I also tried out the pre-algebra course. This begins with an explanation of variables, has a section on understanding equations and expressions, and then has a review lesson. It looks like there are some games/puzzles next, and then more about equations.These are followed by a number of lessons on factoring, simplification, and problem solving, for a total of 28 interactive lessons. It took me 10-15 minutes to complete each lesson I did, and each one was presented clearly and thoroughly. 

There are more than 70 course available on Brilliant. Some look very interesting, like the ones about scientific thinking. There are also computer science courses and a lot of different math courses. These are all arranged in “pathways,” so that you follow a logical progression. For example, as  you finish pre-algebra, you are directed to begin Geometry Fundamentals. I am quite impressed with the layout of these programs, and if we weren’t just finishing the school year and wanting to take a break, I would have at least Mr. Sweetie work through some courses. 

I worked on the two courses I mentioned already using my laptop. That worked great, but I decided to check out the app for the iPad, as well. It was easy to install, and the login synced with what I had been doing on the laptop instantly. I tried the logic course there, and had a lot of fun playing around with it. I think I’ll make this app available to anyone in the family who wants to use it, and see what happens. This is a “computer game” that I don’t mind them spending time on! If you want something to do online or on an app that will keep your mind sharp and keep you learning, or you have children 10 years old or older who need a fun way to practice math, logic, or science skills, definitely have a look at Brilliant. It may be just the thing for you. 

Click the image below to see what other families have to say about Brilliant!

Click here to read more reviews!

Napoleon Hill 4WD Trip

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Elijah bought a Surf a few weeks ago, and badly wanted to try it out on a four wheel drive trip. He organized one on Labour Day, and a lot of friends came along. I stayed home, but Gayle took all the younger children–neither of the girls wanted to be left behind! Gayle, Elijah and James all took photos and let me use them. In this first picture, they were approaching the farm through which you gain access to the track.

Off on the trail! James took most of the pictures; he rode in a friend’s Land Rover, between Elijah’s Surf and Simon’s Safari, which another friend was driving.

The line of vehicles, taking a break.

The cemetery at Napoleon. About 100-150 years ago, this was a thriving mining town–today there are hardly any traces of it!

They drove through a couple of tunnels.

One boy rode his family’s quad bike. Partway through, it started having trouble, and they discovered that the battery was about to burst into flame! One family was driving a ute, and they were able to push the bike onto it to get it home.

I patched together several video clips from Gayle’s and Elijah’s phones and James’s camera. The last two clips, of the Surf going through a creek, are from a one-vehicle trip a few days later. This is the creek where we stopped on Christmas Day, thinking a vehicle couldn’t get through.

25 Years! (Part 2)

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I shared a few pictures last week of our anniversary getaway. The next morning, we tried to find some rock pools that Gayle had explored with a friend while doing supervision when this friend had his children on a visit, but the tide was too high, so we gave up. We drove towards Westport, and stopped at Tauranga Bay. We walked up the Cape Foulwind walkway, and enjoyed seeing the sights along the first part of it.

This is Wall Island, where several different species of sea birds nest. It is one of the few predator-free places in New Zealand.

Next, we came to the overlook above the seal colony. There were just a few mothers and pups hauled out. One pup was very active, moving around from place to place.

This rock was just offshore from the seal colony. We saw waves breaking over it!

This was a fun place to take a picture!

There is Cape Foulwind in the distance. A rain squall was on its way, so we turned around and walked quickly back to the car. We drove around to the other end of the walkway, but it was raining so we decided not to walk any more.

We went on to Westport, and drove out to the Tip Head, the end of the breakwall on the north side of the Buller River mouth. Then, we went back to the beginning of the breakwall and doubled back, going out to the beach again. We found this beautiful little garden, in memory of someone.

This beautiful picnic area was next to it, and there were wild cherry trees all around.

It was raining, and the Whitebait Festival was happening, so Westport was crawling with people. We decided to head home. I got these next two pictures while we drove through the Buller Gorge.

We ended up buying our lunch at the supermarket in Reefton and having a picnic, then walking around the Powerhouse walk because the sun had come out. It was a wonderful time away–I think we should do it more often!

Book Review–Keeping Christmas Volume 1

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About the Book:

Book: Keeping Christmas Volume 1

Authors: Cathe Swanson, Chautona Havig, Olivia Talbott, Kathleen J. Robison, Denise L. Barela, Marguerite Martin Gray, and Naomi Craig.

Genre: Christian Christmas Romance

Release date: October 4, 2022

In castles far and near, long ago and yesterday, find happily-ever-afters wrapped in love and tied with Christmas joy.

The Lights of Castlebourne (by Cathe Swanson and Chautona Havig): He bowled her over at first sight–his dog, that is. Sydney just wanted a chance to do the landscape design at Castlebourne. She never dreamed the owner’s electrician would light up her heart at Christmas.

The Girl From Dalarna (by Olivia Talbott): She’s the most beautiful woman in Sweden, but she doesn’t want to be. A simple life among milk cows is all she desires. Will a scandal upend her plans and ruin her chances for love?

The Cross at Morioka Castle (by Kathleen J. Robison): In the ancient land of shoji screens and tatami mats, Ariko finds the stone ruins of Morioka Castle, and the mysterious cross that holds the secret of a Christian faith extending far deeper than Ariko ever imagined.

The Ghost of Christmas… (by Denise L. Barela): Abbigayl needs to get away for Christmas this year. No family, no questions about why she’s still single, no suggestion about being set up with someone’s friend. What will happen when Neuschwanstein Castle’s past converges with Abbigayl’s future?

Crystal Clear (by Marguerite Martin Gray): Rosalind’s muddied past and foggy future crystalize in Château Chenonceau, a refuge from gossip and more. Watch as the château and Christmas work their magic and break the bonds of propriety, and rejoice as Rosalind experiences the crystal-clear hints of peace, joy, and hope all around her.

The Weary World Rejoices (by Naomi Craig): Behind the elaborate furnishings of Herod the Great’s palace, conspiracy and distrust run rampant. Mysterious visitors from the east challenge everything Amal thinks he knows as palace scribe. Will his quest to uncover the Truth free him from the ornate shackles of palace life, or will he be the next victim of King Herod’s maniacal jealousy?

Grab a mug of something hot and delicious and curl up somewhere comfy. Your literary chariots await to take you on a journey from an early twentieth-century castle overlooking the Mississippi all the way back to the Holy Land at the time of Jesus’ birth. These six novellas, all set in castles real and fictional, celebrate the heart and joy of Christmas.

My Thoughts:

The Lights of Castlebourne: I always enjoy books written by Chautona Havig or Cathe Swanson, and since they co-authored this one, I knew I would enjoy it. I did—except for the frequent, detailed kisses. In my opinion, and from what I have seen and experienced, kissing is not a good basis for a relationship. If a couple wants a strong marriage that lasts, they need to found it on Jesus and not on the feelings they get when they kiss. Ok, off my soapbox. The setting of this story was really fun, and I loved Sydney and her cousin Arielle. The dog was something else again, too! And that bit about un-firing? Genius!

The Girl From Dalarna portrays a beautiful young woman whose beauty becomes somewhat of a curse to her. She doesn’t like her beauty because of where it takes her, but Who made her? Can she learn to accept the way God has made her, and to do what is right even when it’s hard and she is misunderstood? This story is set in Sweden, on a farm.

The Cross at Morioka Castle took me to Japan. Who knew there was a castle there? I didn’t! Though this story isn’t based on historical fact, I still really enjoyed it. It’s a beautiful story of people standing up for God through opposition.

I did not enjoy The Ghost of Christmas…. I simply don’t like time travel or ghost stories. I’m sure there are a lot of people it will appeal to, but not me. 

Crystal Clear is the first book I’ve read by Marguerite Martin Gray, although I have read a lot of reviews of her books. This one involves a young woman going from London to stay with a friend of Queen Victoria in a castle in France to get away from a scandal in her family. What would happen, though, when other English people, who had heard about the scandal, showed up? Could Rosalind find peace in her heart despite others’ censure, and could she find purpose in life? I did wonder about the historical accuracy of this book, with a returned soldier who had been fighting in Vietnam and Morrocco suffered from trauma. I don’t doubt the trauma, but the term Vietnam doesn’t ring true to me.

My favorite in this volume, which surprised me, is The Weary World Rejoices. I’ve been wanting to read something by Naomi Craig for awhile, and I think I like her! I liked that there was no romance at all in this story. I also liked the new perspective on the birth of Jesus. I loved the way she told the story from the point of view of one of Herod’s scribes. This is a good story! I will be looking for more books by this author.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Authors:

USA Today Bestselling author of Aggie and Past Forward series, Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

Cathe Swanson writes books with creative plots and engaging characters of all ages, to glorify God and entertain and bless readers. Her heartwarming stories will make you laugh and make you cry – and then make you laugh again.

Olivia Talbott grew up in Montana, but currently lives in Kentucky with her husband and two daughters, a few sheep and a border collie. She loves words, traveling, pickles and having deep conversations about how Jesus changes everything. Visit her at oliviatalbott.com.

Kathleen J. Robison is an Okinawan-American, born in Okinawa, and raised in California, Florida, Mississippi, and Singapore. Her travels and her family are the sources of her inspiration for her books. Kathleen and her Pastor husband have eight adult children. Seven are married, blessing them with eighteen grandchildren and counting. Her ethnically diverse background extends to her family of currently thirty-five personalities which provide many opportunities to share God’s amazing love amidst the challenges of real life.

Denise L. Barela is a twenty-something-year-old writer with a passion for fiction, her faith, and just being creative in general. When she’s not working away at her desk, you might find her reading a good book or following Alice down the rabbit hole…

Marguerite Gray enjoys the study of history, especially when combined with fiction. An avid traveler and reader, she teaches French and Spanish and has degrees in French, Spanish, and Journalism from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and a MA in English from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene. She has two grown children and currently lives with her husband in north Louisiana. She writes historical fiction.

Author of Biblical fiction, avid reader, pastor’s wife, Naomi Craig loves reading the Bible and imagining how things were at the time. When she’s not serving in various areas at church, trying to stay on top of mountains of dishes or convincing her rescue dog, Freeway, to be cute on command for Instagram reels, you’ll most likely find her enjoying a good book and a cup of coffee. Naomi co-hosts #BehindTheStory with Naomi and Lisa, an author interview show on YouTube and your podcast platform of choice.

More from Denise:

Hello everyone!

I’m excited to share this set of stories with you! All the authors have worked hard to bring you some Christmas joy and magic. We’ve each picked a castle to center our stories around. I mean, Christmas and castles go well together, don’t you think? You’ll get to explore different castles in different time periods while also getting to know all the characters in each story. That’s a lot of new friends to make!

For my story, I jumped on the chance to write about a castle that inspired the castle that always brought me joy growing up (if I’m being honest, it still brings me joy). I’ve always been a huge Disney nerd, and Princess Aurora has always been my favorite Disney princess. Growing up, I was blessed to be able to visit Disneyland for most of my life, and Sleeping Beauty’s castle was my favorite thing (I was so sad when they closed the walk-through part for several years). Even without the attraction part of it, I loved walking into the park and seeing it stand at the end of Main Street. I actually teared up seeing it for the first time after Covid.

What does all this have to do with my castle story? Well, in 1869, King Ludwig II of Bavaria began construction on Neuschwanstein Castle. This castle served as the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Let me tell you, if you thought Disneyland’s castle was beautiful, it’s got nothing on Neuschwanstein. If I were to pick a castle to live in, it’d be this one.

Setting aside the Disney connection, I was even more intrigued when I learned more about the king who commissioned it. The king was not very popular towards the end of his reign, and the day after he was sent to Berg Castle, he and a doctor were found dead in Lake Starnberg. The weird part? They ruled it a drowning, but there was no water in their lungs and clear signs of foul play.

Oh, but that’s not the only interesting fact this castle houses. This castle became a hiding place for some of the art the Nazi’s stole during World War II. Part of me wonders if any pieces are still hidden there. The Monuments Men group actually cataloged art found there, and it’s been preserved. Here’s a fun article from The Met all about it!

I hope you enjoyed learning about the castle that inspired my story!

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

25 Years! (Part 1)

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This week, we celebrated 25 years of marriage. Looking back, it sure doesn’t feel like it seems that a quarter of a century should feel, but the calendar (and our 24-year-old daughter) prove that it has been that long. We decided we should do something to celebrate, and Esther offered to take care of the younger children for us, so we went away for one night. Esther only had two nights at home, and I wanted to spend a little time with her, so we kept this short. It was special, though! It was the first time we went away overnight without a baby along. We went to Charleston, on the coast just south of Westport, and found a motor camp where we rented a cabin for the night. (I can highly recommend the Charleston Motor Camp, by the way. It’s old and basic, but very clean and has everything you need.) After we settled in, we walked down to the beach, and then drove to another beach. As we were walking, we saw this family of ducks.

This was the first thing we saw when we reached the sea. This is Constant Bay, and there were some pretty impressive waves pounding in through that narrow opening! We walked around to the right, after admiring this for a few minutes.

This is Joyce Bay, on the other side of a tongue of land.

Next, we drove north a few kilometers to the Nile River, and out to the mouth. I thought it was fun to visit the Nile!

We ate a picnic here in this spot, beside a cold fire, and watched the sun sinking toward the rocks in the distance.

After we ate, we walked up the beach a little, to where we could see the sun set into the water. It was such a beautiful spot!

These little blue things, about 3 inches long, rather startled us. At first, I thought they were plastic toys, or balloons, or something, but we soon realized they were sea creatures. What really startled us was when we started seeing some of them moving! Watch the video, and the last clip shows one of them moving a little. These turned out to be blue bottle jelly fish, and according to an article I found online after we got home, they are actually four organisms in one. One is the float, one is the tentacles, and two others handle digestion and reproduction. They look fragile, but I stepped on the first one we found to try to see what it was, and it would not pop. It was very tough. They were all over the beach! We were glad, later, that we didn’t touch them, because they sting.

We sat on a log and watched the sun set. Such a special evening!

Next, I’ll share the rest of the pictures we took while we were away.