Křeček

I know it’s time for a short update. But it is so hot lately I can’t think up any coherent text.
Maarten has started summer school and I believe it suits all of us much better than the summer break. Therefore everybody is happy.

In my last post I didn't mention Maarten had another encounter with the wildlife. There were some holes at our last campsite whose inhabitant didn’t want to share with anybody. But Maarten wouldn’t just leave the hamster alone and kept putting his hand into the holes trying to reach the hamster.
This little critter had bitten Maarten several times in his fingers. Maarten didn’t really hurt (as usual), his skin was only a little scratched.
To be honest I didn’t pay much attention to this accident.

Last Saturday, a week later, Maarten suddenly started to complain about a pain in his right hand. There was a very tiny cut and he kept scratching it.
Nothing strange in his case since he gets a bee sting almost every day. And unfortunately I also know where this habit is coming from...

On Monday morning this tiny wound was not tiny anymore and his ring finger was badly swollen. I didn’t want to panic and gave Maarten’s hand a bath in a baking soda solution. This helped somehow.
But then in the evening, by pure coincidence, I was reading this article ‘How to survive a bite by a rabid animal’ and I realized how stupid it may be to be neglectful.
I had a dreamless night, which is nothing that exceptional, and the pediatrician told me what I already knew from the internet after all. However, I found some comfort having Maarten checked.
Now, he takes antibiotics and... he should leave all animals alone!

It's hot! hot! hot!
Even the swimming pools are too warm.
Today, again, 104 F in San Ramon and 80 at the ocean. Big difference within only one hour drive.
80 F is pretty warm, however, I was cold the first moments at the beach.


We spent such a long time exploring the tide pools. Maarten is really crazy about sea life. Actually, he prefers the starfish and anemones above the seals. Maybe they are already too common to him or rather because he can’t touch them.
Later when the water was coming up again, quite fast I was a little concerned about reaching the beach access close to where we parked.


There was a surprise waiting behind the rocky cliff.
The water had already covered the reefs and therefore the harbor seals all came ashore.





They were surprised too and started moving quickly back into the water.
We could have waited there for hours. I did my best to move quietly and slowly as far from them as possible but... Maarten was with me!


And, at last, the moment he was really waiting for!
Splash into the sea!