Spring Break 2018

Spring break was a necessity this year.  One can only take so much winter before one starts thinking 30 degrees is "actually quite decent."Just the regular crazy talk we start doing in March every year.  This year we traveled to Isle of Palms, South Carolina which is just outside Charleston.  We joined three other Brighton families for a total of 12 children and 9 adults.  Of those 12 children, 10 were girls, so we were quite surprised at the lack of drama.  Most days were sunny and warm with 2 days that weren't really "beach weather."  The kids still managed to do plenty of swimming in the chilly 60 degree Atlantic water.  There was lots of hermit crab herding, boogie board riding, drip castle dripping, and sand dollar searching.  I have never seen so many sand dollars and definitely had never seen a live one.  For the adults, there was lots of eating and drinking.  Need I say more?  And food in the south is heavy - ugg.  I was feeling sloth-like by the end of the week.  Apart from the beach, our adventures included a trip into the city of Charleston and a touring of the USS Yorktown, an old aircraft carrier-turned-museum.  We all really enjoyed the aircraft carrier and it certainly peaked the kids interest in history.   The city of Charleston had really unique and interesting architecture but I can't say that I really loved the city.   The kids liked the candy store in the city best.

Our bronzed bodies are back now and we are re-adjusting to regular life.  We did happen to bring a few items of interest back from the south with us in the form of really ugly crawly friends known to most as hermit crabs.   Adrienne is the most impressive salesperson of hermit crabs ever! Those poor hermit crabs took a few wild turns in the car on the way home and are subject to daily dealings by three very eager handlers.

Did you know that hermit crabs are night creatures? In fact, if you have to sleep in the same room with their cage, then you hear what appears to be hermit crab line dancing in the the middle of the night!  And no, their cage is not in my room but a certain youngest child keeps recruiting me into her bed in the middle of the night.  I just hope that none of our new friends come up missing.  They are really ugly.