busybees & waterbugs

ever notice how so many human descriptions have to do with animals? strong as an ox. proud as a peacock. quiet as a mouse. at the beach, susanna is a busybee. she always has to be doing something, and most of the time, she couldn't be more inefficient. instead of dumping a bucket of water into a hole that we've dug, she dips a plastic shovel into the bucket, totters three feet to the hole, and pours a few ounces. back and forth, back and forth. she can easily take an hour to do what most people could do in five seconds. but far be it for us to suggest an alternative method; she can be as stubborn as a mule. liam, on the other hand, is a waterbug. all he wants to do is swim -- over the waves, under the waves, splashing in the foam that the waves leave behind. he's not as interested in activities that involve sitting in the sand. (i guess they leave him feeling like a fish out of water.) the time will come when he wants to construct monstrous sand castles with tunnels and moats, but for now, he's enchanted solely by the ocean. working. swimming. two different children, two different interests. but each one, doing their own thing at the beach, is as happy as a clam.