Results: inconclusive

I had hoped that yesterday’s trip to Bethany Beach, DE to visit some vacationing relatives would clear up once and for all the reality of the existence of the state of Delaware. Unfortunately, it did not. I drove down to the Maryland coast then north toward Bethany Beach. I reached Bethany Beach, but saw no evidence that I ever entered Delaware. I tried to pay closer attention on the way back, but still didn’t see so much as a sign. In fact, I find myself unconvinced that Bethany Beach is anything more than an extension of Ocean City, MD.

On to more interesting news…

The above mentioned expedition was all to see my uncle and his family. They have a 10 year old son Paul and twin 6 year old daughters Sydney and Lisa. The rest of my cousins all grew up together, so I feel like the younger ones should get to have cousins to play with too. I arrived at their condo around 9:00 and was met with shock that I had managed to navigate there successfully (navigating to a state that doesn’t exist is in fact quite a feat). We went to the beach where I was quickly put to work digging holes. Every time I’d convince one kid that his or her hole was deep enough, the next would be ready to start his or her own excavation. When I’d ask what happened to the last hole I dug, he or she would put on an artificially innocent face and say “I knocked it down,” like it was the obvious fate of any good hole. Several times we all mustered the courage to venture into the surf which was not that big but was super rough. A relatively large wave built up in front of us, so Paul and I dove under. My aunt and uncle were each attempting to hold one of the twins above water, and they were knocked down. When I surfaced and turned around, I saw two little girls bobbing along by themselves with giant grins on their faces and fear in their eyes. I kept watching to make sure they were still grinning until their parents could recover and collect them. That’s when the biggest wave of the day knocked me over. Every single one of us came out of the water bleeding, and I’m the proud owner of a rather nasty looking raspberry on my butt. We fled an impending thunderstorm around 2:00 and washed the sand out of our suits. Then it was time for games. We went out to the pond in the back to fish for a while. I was in charge of baiting hooks and removing fish. To everyone's shock, I got Lisa to actually touch a fish she'd caught and to throw it back by herself. Apparently she's the less adventurous twin. After eating an embarrassing large amount of pizza, we took the kids to the pool. They swam, and I got to talk to the adults. It was an excellent reminder of why Tom’s my favorite uncle and where I get my bitter and sarcastic nature. My aunt advised me to never have kids, and I promised to keep that in mind. How strange that people with great kids like my cousins or my advisor's call them monsters while people with horrible little brats call them angels who bring meaning to their lives. At home there were more games including a 5-against-1 rubber band shooting war with everyone against Paul. He was a very good sport. Finally it was time to argue about whether I was going to drive home or spend the night. I decided that I’d get more sleep if I just went home, despite the fact that I’d have to get up before sunrise for jellytime. Talked to Dorian most of the way home, and finally got there around 11:00. Slept in after jellytime, but finally made it to work. Still feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. Our new favorite band is playing in town again tonight, so I’m supposed to have my groove thing back in working order by then (you may remember the damage I did to it a couple of weeks ago), so I think I’m going to go home early and nap. Tomorrow, Moose and her husband are coming down and we plan to eat our weight in sea food at the Sea Food Feast-ival.