Tide Pool Heaven: Palos Verdes Peninsula

I think there will be tide pools in heaven.

Amazingly glorious tide pools--the likes of which we cannot even imagine.

Because, if the tide pools here on earth are so wonderful, then the ones in heaven will be far more wonderful.

I can't wait to see them.

Until then, I fill my soul with trips to tide pools like this one, our favorite, on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

It's called Abalone Cove and we like to go as often as we can.  ( see a trip here )

No matter how many times we go, it never ceases to wow us.

This trip was actually a couple of months ago, but I never got around to blogging it.

We went with our home school group.

I'll never stop feeling so grateful for school days like this one.

We are so very fortunate.

The beauty starts when you're up on the bluff above the cove.

Many times we've spotted dolphins and even whales from here.

The hike down is a little tricky in spots, but even our 2 and 3 year olds made it.

They're champion hikers, those kids!

The trail dumps you out on the beach, but still quite a ways from the tide pools.
The beach is always covered in rocks and so the hike to the tide pools is a bit of a scramble.
The rocks roll and shift and slide under your feet.
The rocks are all very beautiful and unique and it is hard not to want to gather a whole bucketful.
Lilly wanted to.
But since I had David strapped to my front, a backpack on my back, her hand to hold on one side and a bucket on the other, I had to put a stop to her rock collecting after a while.
Besides, we had to get to those pools.
Low tide doesn't last forever.
As soon as we get there, I breathe deep.
This place is one of those special spots on this earth that just fills me.
Oh how beautiful it is.

We were all in the water just as quickly as we could put down our backpacks.
There is so much to discover.
Just look at those purple urchins.

There were lots of star fish.

They are just as interesting on the bottom.

This guy had folded himself over a rock.

This guy was also hugging a rock.
He lost a leg?  arm?  but the good news is that it will grow back.

As much time as I spend looking down, I like to look up at the glorious views.
As the tide starts to come back in, the waves crash through the rocks with such force that it sounds like thunder.

It's so fun to explore with friends.
I love to hear them shouting their finds to one another.

"I caught a crab!"
We kept him in here for a while to watch him scuttle around.
He reminds us of our favorite crab, Pagoo.

"Limpets!"

William loves the tide pools best of all.

He is not interested in climbing on the rocks or playing in the sand.
He just wants to explore and discover.

He was so excited when he found this sea hare.
There were lots of them that day.
He has no qualms about touching them.
Yes, they're quite slimy.

The coolest thing though, was when the sea hare inked.
We've never seen one ink before and you should have heard the cries of excitement from all the kids.

We won't forget it, that's for sure.
To make the event even more cemented in our mind, the very next day when we were reading Pagoo, the chapter we read was about the sea hare.
All the questions we had from the day before were answered.
It was such a great moment of connections in our learning--out in the world and in a living book.
It couldn't have been better if it was planned.
And it was that much cooler that it wasn't!
We all love our field study days--they are the best kind of school days.

Lilly found some treasures too.

Sometimes I can't believe how beautiful she is.

She was very excited about her giant urchin shell.

When the tide began to come in in earnest, there were still plenty of places to explore.
Cliffs and rocks=little boy paradise.

And when it was time to head home, the uphill hike ahead didn't seem daunting to them in the least.
This picture sums up for me so much of why I love home schooling.
Don't they look so carefree, and full of joy and life?
This is the life!

Yes, it is the life, even though us baby- toting mamas were a bit tired on the hike back.
Or more than a bit.
There are a lot of rocks to walk across.

But it is worth every bit of tired.
Every single bit.

Until next time, Abalone Cove.
Love from,
Greta
PS.  In case you missed it, I have a new post up on Beautifully Rooted.  It's more on why I love exploring nature with my kiddos.  Read it here.