What I Learned This Week(ish) #3

Jeff and Luka on the foggy beach.

1. I am now a beginning apprentice at agate hunting.  We stayed right on the water at Big Lagoon near Trinidad, CA, for the week of my brother's wedding, and when he was helping us get settled in, he brought his German Shepherd Luka down to the beach with us and taught us to hunt for agates.  That is, Luka explored the beach, and we hunted agates. Within minutes we were lying face-down cradled by warm gravel, sifting with our fingers through pebbles and looking for the elusive agates.  The best two pieces of advice I got from him:  a. the agates aren't really white-looking but look more like the color of whatever is behind them, because they allow so much light through them; b. you can ask thirty times "Is this one?  Maybe this.  This could be one," but you will know when you've found one for sure.

G. hunting

I just realized I didn't photograph the actual agates we found!
It's okay, though, because this shot captures most of the experience.

2. I learned that my daughter, at six years old, is now old enough to recognize that those drawings in very wide marker on the orange tunnel and slide at the park... yeah, well, they're penises.  I'm not sure if she figured it out on her own or whether her older brother pointed them out to her or whether she overheard me complaining about them.  However, after that bit of learning, my son went all Superbad on me and tortured his sister by drawing penises on her homework tonight.  Next paycheck we'll buy some graffiti remover.

3.  I learned that the word "swag" used to mean cash money a few generations back.  A student also told me that it was an acronym that stood for something about being gay.  Great word to talk about audience, purpose and context!

4. I learned that I really need a housekeeper, at least once in a while.  It has really gotten away from me this time.

5. I think I've learned that I don't need cable anymore.  Sure, there are things I'll miss, but I'm going to look into getting rid of it. With my Kindle, I read a lot more, both books and online reading.  P.S. I really hope paper books don't go away.  I like having both.

6.  I've learned that you can take a gallon ziploc bag of catnip through airport security in Sacramento and nobody blinks an eye.  Thanks, Dad.

The place we stayed in Trinidad was full of these jars and bottles of agates-- the treasures of a thousand walks on the beach for the family who welcomed us into what is clearly a special place for them.