"Next Time, Mom, Let's Pack a Lunch and Take the Bus."

There's a white lighthouse we've been seeing from the boardwalk near our house. We didn't know what the lighthouse was called, if you could actually go up in it, whether the boardwalk would take us all the way there, or how far away it was. We really didn't know anything about it.

But we wanted to go there.

I talked to a shop keeper about the lighthouse yesterday and learned that you can go all the way to the top, that it's called Saint Mary's Lighthouse, and that you can walk there if the tide is out.

The boys and I set out early. About 9:30 a.m. We walked all the way there. (Google mapped it when we got home and it is 2.4 miles one way.)

The boardwalk overlooks the sandy but sea-weedy beaches that become
more rocky the closer you get to Saint Mary's Island.

We are inching closer to the lighthouse. Merrit took this picture.

A concrete foot bridge connects the mainland and
the island. The boys couldn't resist the tidal pools
on both sides of the walk. Seaweed, snails, shells,
and algae-covered rocks.

We made it across the foot bridge and went exploring
on the lighthouse grounds. Unfortunately, the
lighthouse and shop were closed...but that just means
that we'll have to come back another time.

Steps on the ocean-facing side of the lighthouse led
down to the water's edge. Waves splashed against
the rocky edges of the island.

The cover of John Eldridge's book "Wild at Heart" comes to mind when I look
at this picture. The nervous mama in me bit my tongue while I let my boy jump
and explore around on the rocks.

The cover shot of Merrit's first rap album.

We had the sunniest, prettiest day we've had since we arrived in England.
It was so warm, all three of us took off our coats and hats.

Love these colors.

Here's where our day got interesting. The lighthouse keeper told us that we'd
best stop exploring and head back or we'd be stuck on the island for another
three hours. The tide was coming in. And quickly!

We started walking back across the
foot bridge. The tidal pools were now covered in water, about three feet deep.
And tiny waves were lapping over the walkway. It doesn't look deep here, but it
was about six inches deep! I was a little scared! I had a death grip
on each boy's hand as we crossed over!

Both boys had cold, wet feet after our close call, so we decided to walk to the
nearest bus stop to fast track our trip back to the house.

While we waited for the bus, Merrit picked flowers for me.

When our bus came, I asked the driver to break a 20-pound note for a 90 pence fare but he said, "Ah, don't worry about it. I'll take you to your stop for nothin'." So we said thank you and hopped aboard.

The bus ride was probably Ollie's favorite part. He loves anything with wheels.

We dragged ourselves, hungry, wet, and heavy-footed, into the house at about 1:00 p.m. What a full day. Merrit says we will definitely have to go back when the lighthouse is open and next time, he says, we need to pack a lunch and take the bus.