The Big Beehive Beach Adventure

Queen Shenaynay

It's been quiet here at The Beehive blog, as some Gentle Readers have noticed. That's because last week we rebelled from all rational responsibility and hit the beach at Padre Island. Ahhhhhhh, yes. 'Twas glorious.

Great Scot and Fa-So-La-La celebrated their shared birthday (May 18) with their twenty collective toes in the sand. Our always-sweet girl is now Sweet 16. We really need to teach her to drive, but she hasn't figured out how one would operate a vehicle and yet continue a beloved lifetime career of reading books in the car at the same time. We all have our priorities. (Perhaps we should consider hiring her a chauffeur. Those of you who know her personally can perhaps imagine scenarios in which that might prove more economically feasible than funding her driving adventures. ;-)

But back to the beach (oh, how we wish). The beach population was sparse just yet, as schools had not yet let out, the heat was still one week away from becoming unpleasant, and the surf was, well, like way totally happenin', man. Fa-So-La-La, Shieldmaiden and yes, even Spuddy Buddy conquered the fine art of the boogie board. And I must report that they constructed the most audacious, spacious and architecturally relevant sand castle to be seen on the beach that entire week.

The Queen spent much of the week reposing on her beach throne beneath the seaside shade canopy, wearing big shades and a cheap sarong, and reading Tolkien. Also made a pass through Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther and most of Job. The Queen was otherwise amused by shamelessly terrorizing the sand crabs, enticing whole flocks of squawking seagulls to eat pretzel sticks out of her hands, and observing washed-up jelly fish deflate in the seaweed. A most productive week, all told.

At one point I glanced over the top of my sandy Tolkien volume to note that Fa-So-La-La was reclining with a Dorothy Sayers mystery while Shieldmaiden munched an apple over a C.S. Lewis title (yes, she finally finished That Hideous Strength, Thermodude!). No, we didn't plan that... but wouldn't the Inklings find it amusing that they are still managing to converge and convene these many decades after their deaths, and on a Texas beach at that?

We returned home to the hive just in time to host four of the Shafers (minus the erstwhile scuba-diving Sir Lantz-a-Lot, sadly) for a couple of wild and crazy nights. Good thing we caught up on sleep while we were at the beach because I think we snoozed for a total of maybe 8 hours the whole 2.5 days they were here! A great time and many cheeseburgers were had by all.

Ah, life is just one jolly blast after another at times. Especially when school is out!