July 13 words

Crepe and creep
Hah! I managed to actually do something with the bits of broken shells I find so irresistible when strolling on the beach. Then I get them home and they sit in a disconsolate pile forever.  One year,  I only took one bit of beach debris home.   Each time I found something new, I'd compare it to the current candidate.   If the new one was better,  I discarded the old one.   That was a fun game,  but it certainly takes a lot less mental energy to be a magpie, picking up every shiny tidbit you see.
In the evening we all sat around. The grandparents were going to bring food for dinner, having been dissuaded from taking such a large group out to eat. We were waiting, because, as it turned out, providing take out food might have been more difficult than us all going out.   I am much more comfortable in a group of people (yes, even my own family!) if my hands are busy.  Unoccupied, time can creep by ever so slowly.  I start worrying that conversational material will run out (years of evidence that it never does are quite irrelevant in this thought).  But occupied, conversation is a breeze! So.  I got out my handy bottle of Elmer's glue (doesn't everyone carry Elmer's glue on beach vacations? ) and started gluing shells onto a piece of cardboard. I'm not quite sure how what was definitely the world's worst art project evolved into the above,  which is actually rather pleasant.   Glitter can fix anything! 
Eventually the grandparents and the missing happy family (the name I christened the oldest son, his girlfriend and her 4 year old kiddo)  appeared together.   It turned out that the previously missing happy family had been hanging out with grandparents, helping in their food procurement.   Dinner was pizza and  French fries (and a couple melons I had gotten at the farmers/ craft market earlier that day).  Definitely vacation food! Our beach towns may not serve up crepes, but they reliably serve up pizza and French fries!  By that time, we were all quite hungry.   As my mother used to say,  "hunger is the best cook," and there is nothing like swimming in the ocean and eating later than usual to stir up a healthy hunger.

[GaryW]

Very cool!

[Kathy]

A crafty memento of your vacation and a good story.

[Lisa Poland]

I have a giant bag of shells. I need to do something like this.

[JackieR]

and your narrative truly added

[katy]

I am with you when it comes to glitter! An interesting photo and a very entertaining narrative. It sounds as if we may have shared some beach experiences. Especially when it comes to family and food!