On Wednesday evening, we picnicked at the beach again -- cold grilled chicken, marinated cucumber slices, some celery sticks, and bread with butter. We took a long walk and remarked on the different ways people were enjoying the beach -- some screaming and splashing in the surf, some racing in and dashing out, some standing and staring, and some simply sitting and being silent. At our turning-around point, there was a concert by a big, loud band up on a deck above the beach, with dozens of people dancing around them. Several hundred people sat in chairs on the sand or strolled around, listening to the music.

Yesterday morning we walked on Napatree Beach in a soupy and fairly dense fog. I carried two heavy stones and swung them around as we walked, working up a respectable sweat. We stopped once and I dunked myself in the reviving surf.

Last night we attended a going-away gathering for a former student. It was fun to visit with old friends and wish the boy (a good and bright one) a brilliant future at his new school.