Maura's Choice

I’d planned a big adventure with Maura on Friday but I had to give up my plans to make her happy. I'd planned to take her to Plimoth Plantation, the living history museum that recreates the first Pilgrim settlement at Plymouth. It was Plimoth Plantation’s week to take part in Free Fun Friday, so our admission would have been free. Even though she’d been there recently on a field trip from school she said she wanted to go and I have no doubt would have enjoyed the day. I’d let her wander where she wanted and linger in the places that interested her most. She’s always enjoyed history when she can take it at her own pace and ask her own questions.

Then something came up. Her maternal grandfather (she calls him Papa) called to invite her to lunch on Friday. I might have suggested another day but Maura is busy this week and there was no good time. Her grandfather lives in Florida and though he’ll be in Massachusetts for most of the summer there might not be that many opportunities for them to spend time together. While I’d be disappointed not to spend the day on another adventure with my daughter I had to let her make the choice of what she wanted to do. It was the only fair way for me to make a decision.

Maura chose lunch with her Papa. They went to Friendly’s and then to Nantasket Beach to ride the carousel and play ski ball. I didn’t go along to see for myself but Maura clearly had a wonderful time. I spent the afternoon relaxing and working at home, alone. I missed the fun we might have had together but I’m glad I gave her the choice. Maura and I will have many more opportunities to have adventures together before she goes back to school and we'll make the best of them.

High Tide, Tuesday September 2nd, 2008

Tuesday was Maura’s last day of summer vacation and I wanted to make it fun and memorable without driving far or spending much of money. Since it was warm and sunny we decided to go to the beach. We packed a bag and headed for Nantasket Beach, a short drive from home in the town of Hull, Massachusetts.


The first thing we noticed when we got to Nantasket was that there wasn’t much beach. The tide was high and there was more surf than I had seen at Nantasket Beach before. Near the parking lot the waves reached the boulders that line the seawall. We walked along the beach past the recently renovated bathhouse and picked a spot where there was a strip of dry sand between the water and the wall. I set up my chair while Maura stripped down to the bathing suit she wore under her clothes.


While Maura played in the sand I relaxed in the shade by the seawall. I kept an eye on Maura but I didn’t worry much. She didn’t go in deeper than her knees or go far down the beach. Though there weren’t any other kids her age around she was clearly having a good time without getting into trouble.


I amused myself by watching people and occasionally by scanning the water with binoculars to watch the ships on their way in and out of Boston Harbor. I saw a Coast Guard helicopter hovering over the sea. Something was raised and lowered from it but it was impossible for me to tell if it was a rescue or a training mission. After the helicopter headed for shore I shifted my gaze to a container ship that was headed out of the harbor. I imagined what might be in the containers it carried.


Suddenly I was hit by a wave that came all the way to the seawall. I was soaked. So were Maura’s clothes and the beach bag. The legs of the beach chair were festooned with seaweed. Maura’s beach toys were washed away and now were racing back and forth in the surf.


I quickly put down the binoculars. Maura, a few yards down the beach, hadn’t been hit by the wave. We chased her beach toys through the surf until we caught them all. It was a good thing they were bright colored plastic. Then it was time to leave. I didn’t want to stay on the beach if the tide might still be rising.