Yesterday we headed back to the Atlantic to spend the day with Mandy and Rachel at the Seacoast Science Center. It is a cute little museum that has aquariums with Atlantic ocean animals, some hands on exhibits, and a cool “touch tank” with sea stars and other little creatures. The center is located in a state park that used to house a weapons battery during the Great Wars. We had a nice day exploring the museum, exploring the park and rocky coastline, and, of course, checking out the playground.

The touch tank was pretty cool… and cold!

Meet Libby, the giant orange lobster that was rescued from a grocery store tank and now lives here.

There is a big hill here that is really an underground concrete building that used to house a weapons battery. There were giant guns (not there now) that could shoot 15 miles into the harbor!

Lex tried to go inside and was disappointed to find the doors locked.

It was a beautiful day and there were lots of boats in the harbor.

We rocked along the rocky coast for awhile. From there I could see two lighthouses that we visited last week with Rosy.

It was a HOT day and the air was stagnant. No nice coastal breeze to be found. After walking along the rocky shore in the hot sun for awhile we took a break under this lovely tent, all set up for a wedding.

At the playground the kids played hard, as usual, but I could tell Eve was wearing down when I found her like this at the top of the slide. Just resting for awhile, out of the hot sun.

We went back into the museum for a chance to touch a “chain cat shark”, a skate, and a big crab (I want to say hermit crab, but it wasn’t that, it was something else that started with H and I can’t remember at the moment!). The shark was prickly to the touch. Here is the skate. It’s hard to take pictures of moving animals in dark areas!

The underside of a skate. It looks like a smiley face, but really the “eyes” are holes they use to take in water from underneath and blow out air from corresponding holes above. That’s how they breath.

Back to the touch tank. We were all pretty worn out by now!

Hello sea star. Thanks for letting us play with you and your friends all day.

By the end we were all hot, hungry, and tired. And probably dehydrated! We decided to head halfway home and meet Mandy and Rachel for dinner along the way. Eve napped in the car and I almost did too. Dinner, however, was nice and once we were fed and hydrated everyone felt much better!

I think that was our final trip to the Atlantic for this season! I wish we lived a little closer. Tomorrow we all go back to school again and my Montessori kiddos start as well. I think I’ll be pretty tired by next weekend!

Friday evening Eve was out riding her bike and excitedly came home to gather her money for the neighbor’s yard sale. We chatted a bit and I told her that yard sales usually started on Saturday’s, but she insisted. So we went down together to chat with the neighbor. Turns out this was yard sale weekend and my neighbor had organized a community event. I remembered getting a flyer about it, but dismissed it quickly. Eve was super excited about the idea and a little bummed that she only had a dollar and change to spend. So… we decided to have a last minute yard sale of our own! Friday night we gathered a bunch of stuff and Saturday morning set up a few tables. Since someone else had done the signage and advertising, and five other people on our street were holding sales, it was a quick and easy job for us!

The kids and I were out there early, setting up and getting ready. We had dry cereal and hot tea (for me) for breakfast and business was steady on the beautiful Saturday morning. Alan woke up later and brought out a bunch of stuff from the garage and basement, much of which sold even as the traffic slowed down.

After we got all set up, Eve took an advance on the sales and went yard sale shopping. :)

The kids made it until 10ish before they were bored and ready to move on. Lex went inside for awhile and Eve went down the street to her friend’s house. I rallied them both again at lunch time for the final few hours.

We had a picnic lunch in the lawn while the customers kept coming.

Lex is an excellent salesman.

Altogether we made $75 and split it four ways. I bought a big mirror from a lady down the street. I’m hoping to frame it and hang it above the hearth. Eve bought stuffed animals, a jewelry box, and a really useful lamp for her bedroom. Lex saved his money for a trip to the toy store. Not to bad for a one-day, last-minute yard sale!

We had to go grocery shopping in the evening, so Eve brought her remaining money and bought herself flowers. I love that girl!