Brook the Dog
born December 21st, 2020

I took over 500 photos at the water park.
This was a mistake.
On the first draft of this post, I narrowed it down to twenty-one.
That is still too many for the average viewer!
Here are eleven of my favorites.
They are not necessarily the best.
I like them, tho!
You might like some, too.











Canal building commenced around seven in the morning.

The purpose of the canal was the creation of an island.

Digging of the pool began past eight. Akiva dug, Martin brought the reinforcement material.

Iris documented the days activities in her journal.

She drew and wrote in the morning light on a driftwood log by the bay.

After allowing them to admire it a bit, the rising tide lent its creative hand to Martin & Akiva’s stone ringed pool.

Back at camp, there was a chess tournament.
It is very difficult to get an action shot in chess.
I have never seen one.

This is our kitchen tent. We have our own spot on the bay with our own entrance, to the water.
It is just a bit over two kilometers from where the nearest car can drive.
There are no idling RVs, no cars driving, no speakers playing, no people walking by (usually), and there is no cell reception.


I got Lyme disease at my folk’s house in mid-July. It was exhausting and painful.
I spent most of our camping trip sleeping on the beach.
The kids didn’t have as much fun this year, due to all my sleeping.
Martin says it was the last year we’re going, in his opinion.
He has never enjoyed camping.
It’s still the best place ever for family camping, in my opinion. I simply love it here.
deciding on the building site

building the foundation

raising the walls

sandcastle legs

playing in the bay

shoreline at sunset

children at sunset

I
Pogo Stick

My mom’s had it in her garage since we were little.

Before that, it was in someone else’s garage.

It goesβ
SPRINK-SPRANK-SPRINK-SPRANK!
SPRINK-SPRANK-SPRINK-SPRANK!

SPRINK-SPRANK-SPRINK-SPRANK
SPRINK-SPRANK-SPRINK-SPRANK!

Akiva wants me to let you know that his record number of hops is 84 in a row.

II
SUPERMAN
said Ma, as she pointed to the sky!

Then the kids ran

mad circles in the grass,

mirroring the superhero’s gyre

as he flew above the yard.

When at last the man of steel

tumbled from the skyβ

the world as we imagined it was over.
Dad’s recumbent bike is for sale.
I take photos for sales purposes.
This is where I learned to ride my bike!







In the game of duck-duck-goose, everyone sits in a circle. One kid (out of convention, let’s call this kid “it,) walks around the circle tapping everyone on the head saying, “Duck, duck, duck, duck. Duck, duck, duck, duck, duck, duck, duck,” until all the other kids start counting ceiling tiles or bricks on the wall or wondering what’s for lunch. Suddenly, the walking kid shouts “GOOSE!” and starts running! Whomever got goosed has to jump up and chase the it-kid. If they catch the it-kid before the it-kid gets to the goose spot, the it-kid is it again. If the goose can’t catch the it-kid, the goose becomes it. Simple enough.
I didn’t ever get bored enough to count anything or think about lunch because I was always busy (1) hoping I would get goosed so I could RUN! and (2) wondering why there were so many ducks but only one goose and (3) wondering why the goose got to be the chaser and not the ducks. After over four decades, I have, at long last, learned the answers!
In duckling vs. gosling, Akiva stands up for the ducks.



