a day by the bay


Aiden and Sophie in Baywood Originally uploaded by emdot.

"My mom loves the smell of low tide," Mary said, which is the equivalent of saying "I love the smell of the sewer in the spring time." We were walking along the back bay with her kidlets.

"She should shop at Ross then." (Ross is built on a sewer line who's personal mission is simply Stink. It. Up.)


Baywood Park: Back bay Originally uploaded by emdot.

The original plan was to canoe over to the sand dunes (seen in the background of this picture), but it was pretty windy and high tide wouldn't last that long. In Baywood, canoeing and kayaking can only happen at high tide because the Bay is only about 18 inches deep. And if you get stranded out on the Bay when the water's gone out, you are out of luck because the Bay floor can only hold up the weight of a very light leaf. And if you happen to think that you can get out of your canoe and just pull the boat back into shore, you will soon be rethinking that thought as you slowly and relentlessly sink into the wet, gooey mud. Gooey mud that is filled with mud worms and other evil creatures. And you won't just sink to the tops of your feet or your ankles. You will (and I promise) sink to your hip bones. And the mud worms will come to suck on your poor, stuck legs. You will be stranded there until the tide comes back in, 12 hours later. So, I hope you brought a hat.

I'm not making this up.