Becca's beaded bracelet

I was awakened at 6:30 by a series of thumps and bangs and thuds. The kids were awake. Somehow I was worried about them being noisy at night when they should be sleeping. It did not occur to me that they would wake up early and bounce around, waking me since I am sleeping right below them. I stayed in bed for awhile longer. Then when I heard Cecily, I got up to read e-mail. I thought I should take a shower, but then I would have to take another one after going to the beach, etc. So the beach came first. I put on my suit and took a towel, soap and wash cloth. I left it all by the outdoor shower. Then I walked down to the beach. Our beach access was completely unremarkable, so I cleared away the sand from the house number and left a pile of sand on one step to mark it. Then I walked south, maybe a quarter of a mile, to a submerged piece of jetty or pier. I stood in the surf for awhile, then came back. I saw the lifeguard write on the placard, and then climb her tower. She sat under an umbrella because it was threatening rain. Then I came back to the house and swam in the pool. I tried doing my usual exercises in the water. Some did not work so well. Then the kids came out and joined me. I could not leave. But then Cecily came out. I stayed in for a bit, getting chilled, then got in the hot tub. Olivia joined me there. The others went in. I washed in the outdoor shower, then wrapped myself in a towel to come in for clean clothes. The shower was too wet after the rain to store clean clothing. In fact, Becca and Cecily were trying to decide where they could hang a clothesline that the items would be safe from rain. They did not find one. I threw my towel and suit in the dryer. I went upstairs to make breakfast and ate it. Then Cecily made lunch for Al. I came down to take my supplements. I remembered taking off my earrings in the middle of the night and putting them on the nightstand. But when I checked, one backing was missing. Al came down to help me search, but it was nowhere to be found. I stayed in my room listening to audios and working Sudoku-like puzzles. I came up for a late lunch. I joined the conversation in the second dining room. Becca was making bracelets and she made me a purple one. Then the doorbell rang. It was the repair man to fix the window.  Cecily told him about a shelf in the fridge downstairs and I told him about the outlet in my room.  He measured the window, taped the shelf, and replaced the innards of the outlet.  Then Larry and Dottie arrived. We all greeted them and they got the tour of the house. Then we were all talking in the second diningroom when Kelly showed up. We gave her hugs, and there was more talking. Then Cindi and her family came. Olivia was so glad to see her boys. I hadn't met them before. Or her husband Bryan who turned out to be Canadian and quite the conversationalist. He made the smashed potatoes while Cecily and Becca made pork tenderloin, sauerkraut, and peas. Cindi, Kelly and I went to Harris Teeter for a few grocery items. I got coconut milk. When supper was ready, the adults sat at the large table while the kids sat at the bar. It was a nice supper. The stories rolled out. The kids got restless and went to play. After supper the table was cleared and Dottie and I stacked the dishwasher, and washed and dried the dishes that wouldn't fit. We guessed at where in the cabinets the items should go. Dottie and I talked about Michele and her kids and the empty nest feeling. Larry talked about his experiences in Korea. I froze in the AC. Kelly talked to me about my family. I wanted to take her pic for my blog but she 'declined'. Most went to bed. Bryan was telling us stories of people he worked with. Then I ducked out to post to my blog because they said something about being a bad influence. I deleted a few e-mails and realized there was a skype text from Chris that was an hour or two old. I responded thinking he would see it in the morning. But as I started my blog, he skyped me and we talked quietly. Then I finished my blog and went to bed.