The importance of nature

Let nature be your first teacher.
~ Saint Bernard of Clairvaux ~

The Misses were surprised to learn of my plans to spend the morning at the beach. And they had a wonderful time -- talking, exploring, strolling, crouching.

I parked myself under a large shade tree just beyond the sandy shore of the lake: They could see me, and I could see them, but all of us could be happy in our own pursuits.

Apart from a bottle of water, a book, and a baseball cap, neither of them brought anything along, which reminded me of a passage from The Idle Parent (Tom Hodgkinson):

Children teach us the joys of a cardboard box or a pebble or a twig.

They're considerably older now than they were in their days of sandy hearts and backyard swings, yet they still possess a certain simplicity and innocence, both of which were displayed in their meandering along the water's edge, in their solemn investigation of the detritus -- natural and not -- left in the wake of another summer season, and in their animated chatter, which arrived in wisps as I read in the cool shade.

Afterward, I took them to lunch, complete with Blizzards from Dairy Queen. The photos above were taken in the reserve where we parked to enjoy our frozen treats.

And now we are home, practicing music, reworking math problems, discussing -- again -- the misfortunes that befell poor Malvolio.

It was, then, an unremarkable day, I suppose, one that does not necessarily merit retelling, but it was certainly a good day -- company, conversation, butter-yellow sun, ice cream, etudes, angles, bardolatry, and all.