Tired Pools

Today I went on a field trip with my sister's fourth grade class. We took buses to the Fitzgerald Tide Pools north of Half Moon Bay. When she asked me to chaperon, I was leery. The worst headache I ever had was on a school bus with my daughter's second grade class on the way to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. But this would not be a school bus...oh no we would ride to the tide pools on a chartered bus with a bathroom and TVs!!!

Somebody gave the school a grant or something and it was awesome. If I never had to ride on a school bus (you know they transport you to Hell on school buses) again, I'd rent myself out as a field trip chaperon. No kidding, the kids were smart, polite, and adorable. Plus, they treated me like a queen (a really old queen - they were worried I was going to eat dirt walking on the seaweed, so they took my hand, steadied me and made sure I was safe...) My sister is a fantastic teacher - she had them so well prepared they were telling the docent things she didn't know!

One of the kids in my group is a high functioning autistic and he's very particular about his shoes. He was content to sit on the edge of the tide pools and dig in the sand. Then one of my girls decided he was missing all the fun so she went and got him and convinced him to come and see the sea urchins they'd found. He went along and, of all the kids, stepped right into a tide pool and soaked his shoes. He informed our whole group that this was the worst field trip he'd ever been on an we needed to leave right NOW!

Fortunately, it was time to go back to the bus, or as I call it Heaven on Wheels. My little autistic friend made it back intact, then shed his shoes. The docents loved our classes - really! They were very lovable. In fact, if I was 45 years younger - they'd all be my new best friends. We headed back over the Dumbarton Bridge and got back only a little late.

It was the most fun I've had in months and it was with a bunch of nine-year-olds. Which tells you a thing or two about my social life. These are some seriously sweet children, though, and it was fun hanging out with the sister-unit. When I got home, I did a self check on my grief process...hmmm...still pissed? Yup, still pissed - well, I may be moving slowly through this phase but at least they can't take away my new best friends. Can they? Now its time for wine and sleep - lots of both. All in all - a great day...