Kure Beach Trip Day #5: Enter the Cast Net

 On Tuesday night I sent Zac to the store to get some groceries, and he came back with a cast net that Simon had been requesting for quite some time. Wednesday was the kids' asychronous day, so they had a bit of independent work to do, but no live classes. So that meant Zac could take them to the beach all morning to try out the net, while I spied on them from the balcony during my breaks between classes.

The cast net helped them catch bait to catch bigger fish.

They came indoors for lunch and a bit of a break in the afternoon. I'm not surprised at my terrible posture and grumpy face. This is what work does to me!

In the afternoon, Zac stayed in and worked while I took the kids back down to the beach. It was my turn to try out the cast net, and we got lucky because there were so many schools of little fish in the surf that even with my poor casting, we still caught a bunch. Trying to keep them in the bucket was a different story.

Eventually we gave up and just let them back in the sea. Sort of.

It was another beautiful evening at the beach. I remember after two days, I was so stressed out and I was unsure how we would make it a whole week, but as we got used to our cramped quarters and got into a routine, it seemed like the week was flying by.

Another beautiful moonrise!

Kure Beach Trip Day #4: Seaside School starts

 Tuesday was our first full day of all of us having to do work and school from the beach condo.

Simon worked from the dining room table. 

And we set Alice up in the bedroom, since she can work more independently.

For their midday break, I took them on a short walk to a little playground that was part of the condo compound. 

It did not entertain them for very long. Although baby moo cow did enjoy swinging for a few minutes.

Here's what happens these days when I tell the kids to stand together for a picture:

After classes wrapped up that afternoon, we went back down to the beach, but it was windy and cool.

Kure Beach Trip Day #3: Coquina Rocks

 On Monday, the kids had the day off from school and it was my students' asynchronous day, so while Zac worked in the morning, I took the kids down to the beach. We walked south towards Fort Fisher at low tide and played for a long time at the coquina rock formation, which was exposed at low tide.

• Kure Beach’s coquina rock formation is home to a very rare and distinctive mossy hard rock outcropping. Only visible during low tide, the rock is cemented together by seashells and coral with an estimated origin ranging from 12,000 to 80,000 years ago. Located near the coast of Fort Fisher, it is a true natural wonder and remains the only rock formation on the coast of North Carolina that is home to a variety of wildlife. (Source:https://www.wilmingtonandbeaches.com/kure-beach/press-and-media/fast-facts/)

Simon built a weird little nest out of some of the coquina rocks that had broken off and were higher up on the sand.

They also enjoyed frolicking in the calmer surf at low tide, since it was broken up by a sandbar.

And of course, there was lots of fishing in the afternoon with Zac.

(Pretending to catch the big one)

Evening at the beach is always so beautiful!

The moon was nearly full, so every night it lit up the sky and sea.

Inside, I even had a bit of spare time to relax with the kids.

Kure Beach Trip Day #2: Crab Catching at Carolina Beach State Park

 On Sunday morning, we took buckets and nets and went back to nearby Carolina Beach State Park at low tide. We walked around the shore and found a great shallow spot full of crabs. The kids played for a long time catching them.

Future Supervillain, right here:

That afternoon, we went back to the beach.

Kure Beach Trip Day #1: First Fish from the Surf

 We drove down to Kure Beach on Saturday, for our first ever entire week at the beach. Online learning is horrible, but it does let you be a little more mobile. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity this year to do our work and school from the seaside. I love the beach this time of year--when the water is still warm but it's not so hot out anymore.

Since we couldn't check in to our condo until afternoon, we stopped at Carolina Beach State Park to play for a while. Simon of course immediately started catching sand crabs.

I was just glad to finally be there. I hate all the packing and preparation, but it always pays off in the end.

Around 3:00 we could check in to our ocean-front condo. Here is the view from the master bedroom.

I took a picture of the living/dining room before we trashed the place with all our junk.

Then we headed down to the sand for a bit before supper.

Simon wanted to try surf fishing right away of course. And, he had some great beginner's luck!

Banana peppers

 

One thing about being home so much is the kids help with food sometimes.

Simon really likes to cut things up, so whatever you give him it will end up in bite-sized pieces.

Faces in unusual places

 Alice sharpied some bananas again...

And this is an old wasp nest outside the upstairs hall bathroom. A spider lives in it now. I think it looks like a face.

Catching Catfish

 The poor fish don't stand a chance.

Simon Burrito

 Simon goes a bit wild right before bed every night.

Online "learning"

 Here we are, one month into the school year.  We have mostly settled into a routine as the kids have gotten the hang of online learning. Alice still has the occasional breakdown/tantrum when we have the ill-fated confluence of low blood sugar and technology difficulties. Simon still zones out for most of his lessons and can't wait to get back down to the pond as soon as he can.

Fire Pit Progress: 5 months

 

The end is near! He just has to create a few more pieces of the puzzle.

Fish & Forts

 He's quite content playing outside as much as possible.

Alice and Izzy at Umstead

 Natasha invited us for a hike at Umstead this morning. Simon wanted to fish instead, so he didn't come, which was actually kind of nice because Alice didn't have to fight with him, and we could hike at a quicker pace with far less whining.

It was a beautiful day for a hike--with the first taste of cool fall weather!