Coffee and the Beach

The Coffee Poppets and I went to the beach.

This is kind of a big deal.

I got this little arm holster thingie at Trivia Night and we've been using it to figure out how to take Poppets On Tour.

The Coffee Poppets were willing to give it a go.

The other bit that is kind of a big deal is that I'm not supposed to be out in the sun.

Bah to all that.

When we got to the boardwalk they asked to be let down.

We went to the second dog beach, there is the "old boardwalk" (The dog beach is where dogs are allowed here, there is a people beach too but there is really very little point in being there if you are vacationing with your dog.)

I have been coming here for the last 20 or so years with my Very Dearest Friend. Here in it's own way is more consistant than the many places I have lived during the same 20 years.

Sometimes when I think about the milestones in my life they are marked or punctuated by my time here.

One step, One year at a time.

When I first started coming here I was allowed to be in the sun.

We were not known enemies then.

Times of course have changed. But this year, I will cover up and don the armor and sit on the beach. It is the first part of the maneuver. I am looking for an armed truce between the Sun and I and then I can move on to the Sea.

I suppose it's best if one's epic battles are with large things. It makes them seem less petty that way.

When we got to the beach at a platfrom straight down from the boardwalk is a large open outdoor oven.

It is functional and only partially affected by the tragedy of the commons, but it is part of the scenery. I have seen it in use over the years but it does not seem to be in use now.

The Coffee Poppets wanted to check it out. I brought them down and we discussed various methods of making campground coffee or other types of coffe preparation in rustic conditions.

We then discussed great campground coffee that we have had. I had more than they have, but they were willing to play catch up if left on their own.

Poppets like boats.

Have you seen the opening graphic on PoppetPlanet.com?

Of course human boats don't have hands. Well they do, but they are attached to humans. Sometimes the humans on a ship are called hands.

The Coffee Poppets took a little while to understand this.

They spend sometime looking for the hands.

Then we all continued to the beach.

When they hit sand they found someone who had spent a great deal more time on the beach than they were planning on.

The conferred for a bit, but I was not privy to their conversation.

I was working on my detente with the Sun.

The Poppets continued on their was to the Sea. It's not really the Sea, it's really a trapped bit of Ocean, or water in communication with Ocean but Sea sounds far more primal.

At least to me.

The Coffee Poppets explored more of the beach and took up the invitation of one of our hosts.

She likes to play ball by having her human throw the ball as far out as he can.

Then she swims out and collects the ball bringing it back and rolling around in the seaweed and generally celebrating the fact that she has fur and there is sand.

The Coffee Poppets weren't really sure about the ball part. The ball was considerably larger than they were and they weren't really sure that they could swim out to where a ball was anyway.

They did however try bodysurfing.

They decided it was too much like being a teabag.

So they dried out on a rock that was on the beach, mumbling a little something about not wanting to end up like the tiny blue man they had met.

Drying on the rock was pleasant and they decided that they did indeed like the Sun.

So do as I as matter of fact. When we are just dealing with light the Sun and I are great friends.

Like many relationships, it is sustained direct contact where we run into interpersonal problems.

After some time, we agreed that it was good all around. We had tried new things and while they were off on their adventures, the Sun and I found a comfort zone.

So although I must be careful about it, now I too can be at the beach.

That makes today significantly different than yesterday.