boardwalk, beach, and bliss

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This week I've got the kids - well, Jed and Aileen - at the beach.  Yesterday was beautiful weather.  We went up to Seaside, which is a fun, family friendly tourist town.  We shopped, went to the Aquarium, did some boardwalk rides....  The Seaside Aquarium was fun.  Not too big, but nice exhibits.  Both the kids liked the octopi.  Now, before some grammarian out there protests, be advised I did some research.  According to (ahem, please don't tell anyone I cited this source) Wikipedia, the following is true:
Currently there are three plural forms of octopus: octopuses [ˈɒktəpəsɪz], octopi [ˈɒktəpaɪ], and octopodes [ˌɒkˈtəʊpədiːz]. Currently, octopuses is the most common form in the UK as well as the US; octopodes is rare, and octopi is often objectionable.[7]

I like octopi, so that's the one I'm using.... I mean, I can be objectionable too, right?

The aquarium also had harbor seals, including two adorable babies.  There was a viewing window and they would come right up and look at us.  Very cool.
After the aquarium, it was shopping time.  Aileen liked the clothes shops, with espresso in hand of course.  Jed liked the candy shops, and Grammie liked the chairs provided on the street for people tired of trying to keep up with teenagers.  We got a delicious elephant ear - which I did later regret when Ali made me go on the Tilt-A-Whirl.

We got back to Rockaway to find the sun shining and we headed straight to the beach.  Watching the kids in the waves was pure joy to this old heart.  Even though they have been pestering each other something fierce, they seem to get along perfectly at just the right times.
Overall, life is good.  Very good.

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