Today I happily gave up my stitching time for a family trip to the aquarium (Sea Life, in Scheveningen) at Max's suggestion. Nicky and Rowen are finally getting old enough to enjoy family outings. After a few years of not really being able to do much, this feels like a new lease on life to me! (Sara, Mom, and others who know me from 'way back' know how hard it is for me to stay in one place for long.) Nicky and Rowen love fish, and this was just a total delight for them. Max knows his way around the aquarium pretty well, so he had a great time acting as the tour director. It actually went so well that we dared to stay for a big lunch at the attached restaurant. Our younger two can strike terror into the hearts of waiters & waitresses, so this was a big gamble. And it was a total success! Not only did they not break anything, trip anyone, or steal stuff from other patrons, they actually ate all their food and were very fun dining companions! I won't make much progress on my weekend's stitching goals, but it was more than worth it. Here are a few pictures that turned out okay in spite of the difficult lighting.









Thank you one and all for your very kind, supportive, encouraging comments. I'm blushing at all the nice things you said. I hope that my negative commenter will find something else to do with her time. More importantly, I hope that people will think twice (or three or four times) before saying something mean, unwarranted, untrue, or otherwise negative. It hurts people, and it diminshes the person who says it.