New Sites, Fresh Faces

Today was a change of pace for me: I got to work with a great new group of LHE's and JPA's, at Blacks Creek in the morning and then at Carson Beach this afternoon. Though it was hot, we had a good time finding hermit crabs and catching minnows with the kids who showed up for programming in Quincy. They were so happy to spend an hour or so wading in the cool water and discovering the small creatures that live in the shallows! The funniest moment for me was when a little girl looked up from gazing into the water and said matter-of-factly, "I forgot to tell you: I'm crazy," then went straight back to searching for crabs. Other kids piled rocks and shells into their nets, created habitats on the beach, and even tried to pick up and identify the sex of the one small green crab in our bucket. After snack in the shade, we moved to the upper field, where we played Museum and a few rounds of Capture of Flag. I was happy to have Sedny, Edward and D showing me the ropes at Blacks Creek, and I'm excited to come up with more games and activities for the remainder of the summer, and for the opportunity to get to know the kids who return day after day because they enjoy the program so much.

The kids inspect their catches at Blacks Creek.

Kids wade, D crouches, and sailboats sail.

After a sweaty morning, it was great to kick off our shoes and splash around with some of the camp groups that visited Carson. I keep thinking how amazing it is that the harbor is now clean enough to swim in, especially during hot, humid weeks like this one. Carson seems to epitomize a city beach, full of various people enjoying their surroundings, soaking up the sun, and finding some relief from the heat. Our staff did this by dunking buckets of water over one another, and in the process they inspired a number of other beach-goers to do the same!

~Emily B.