Day 1...continued...

A vacation at the beach wouldn't be complete without seashells, and this was no exception. At first the girls ran from tiny seashell to tiny seashell. They found a plethora of "butterfly" shells. When Tanner explained that they were clam shells without the clam inside, Kate got a funny look in her face. She quietly watched the waves lapping the sand, and then, quite suddenly, she began to dig furiously with her hands. She scooped out a wad a sand, and held up a tightly closed clam shell in her hand. "Look, Dad! I'm just like an indian or something!" she exclaimed.

We smiled and laughed a great deal at that. I guess she has figured out that when the waves receed they leave small holes where the clams have dug down. She spent a good 20 minutes digging and collecting clams, and then we made her put them all back so that they wouldn't die. She also found live sand dollars. That was a first for me, too. They are fuzzy on the back, and they use little suction cups to stick onto your hand not unlike a starfish.

This was probably the cloudiest day at the beach. There were thunderheads rolling in from the gulf, and when we started to hear thunder, we thought it was about time to pack it up and call it a day. We thought that we might head back to the beach later on, but the little girls took really long naps, so instead we took a drive around Corpus Christi and stumbled on a live concert and a park all nestled along Corpus Christi Bay.

There was a lovely walk way at this beach, but the girls remarked on the icky smell, much like the smell in Newport, OR. Luckily, there was a hefty breeze, and of course the park was an excellent distraction. The park reminded me of Imagination Station. The walkway along the beach reminded me of the Columbia River Walkway. The live music reminded me of concerts at the Rose Garden.

And it was on this walk that Reagan discovered her shadow. She happened to glance behind her while walking and noticed this big black thing following. She started to run, and when she thought she had gone far enough she looked back. She was relieved to find that the black thing was gone, but when she turned around, she discovered that it was IN FRONT of her! She stared at it for a moment and then said, "Oh...hi, Reagan!" Then she proceeded to boss it around for a few minutes. I accidently stepped on her shadow, and she rebuked me firmly. "Mommy! Don't step on Reagan!"