19.08.2002
feeling kinda
i had a great birthday today. phone calls and cards, and a great day with my best friend.
of course, i woke up to a ringing phone, which wasn't my idea of a great start. ;) Chica was calling to firm up plans; there was some stuff that threw things out of kilter, but i think it all worked out the best way.
i caught up with Tanya online for a bit this morning, which is always lovely. haven't talked to her in ages. found out that she hadn't been showing up on my buddy list because of some disagreement between AOHell and my mac. all better now, since she pinged me and i re-added her. and it was great to hear from her.
then i threw my stuff together and headed over to Chica's parents. got an adorable 'happy bird day' card from the family, which made me giggle. and Chica brought me not one, but three stickers from my alma mater.
started off with a massage. the woman is good. a whole hour plus lying on the table, being rubbed and cared for - what better way to start your day?
we packed all our stuff into her car, got sandwiches, and headed up to Wingaersheek. yes! i finally made it there! damn. took all summer, but i made it there. we hung out on the beach for a few hours, splashed around in the water, sunned ourselves and relaxed. i oohed and aahed at the boats going by, of course. pretty. we walked out towards the light on the sandbar after a while, and made a drip sand castle, complete with turrets and stairs, and an entry to the underground prison. 'didn't know we had one of those, did you?'
the tide was still going out, and we were slowly losing our moat, so i started to dig a trench out to the water, in the process discovering a crab. i thought it was just a pokey thing in the sand, but no. we dug him out, and watched him for a bit. gorgeous ivory shell with red mottling, and irridescent colors along the joints. (hinges?) crabs are amazing creatures. he scuttled himself back into the sand after that, and it blows me away that not only can they dig into the sand backwards, but they're fine down there.
as we were heading back in, we told the lifeguards about the crab. when we looked back, they had dug him out and given him a home in the castle. 'i am a crab, i am an iiiiiisland.' *giggle* you know, i can't remember the last time i built a sand castle, or played with sealife, or found a leaf to make a boat in the moat. because, you know, what good is a castle without an armada?
showered up and headed over to Woodmans for dinner. we had to interpret the directions in reverse, as we ended up coming from the north, instead of the south. i thought we'd done pretty well, but we decided to stop for directions just to be sure. i walked into the store and said 'hi, i'm hoping for some directions. i think we may have taken a wrong turn somewhere. can you point me to Woodmans?' she giggled. it was right around the corner. y'know, if they'd just mark the major highways, life would be easier. ;)
we did a little shopping first, and i got a nifty duffel boat bag and a new baseball hat. Chica bought me a little art kit with removable paint, so we can decorate each other's cars. and of course, we got the obligatory shot of me standing next to the giant clam shell sign.
what a dinner! steamed lobsters, shrimp, corn on the cob, clam fritters, and a cold beer, all on the upper deck of the place, which has a nice view of the marsh. Chica had originally planned lunch there, and then going to the beach, but i think this was better. lazy afternoon at the beach, followed by a great dinner and the setting sun - works for me.
thanks for a great birthday, Chica. just spending time with you would have made it worth it. the fact that we had a wonderful day together made it just that much better.
