SUMMER VACATION, Day 7: The sea

As you'll see, the ocean is in all but one of the photos here, and the exception is just a matter of angle. It was that kind of day.

Alas, it also was "that kind of day" in another way. Think of the whale watching experience earlier. In other words, aside from the pleasure of their own company, the Chambers men - Dad, Uncle Dan, Uncle Andy, Uncle Colin (taking the photo) and Papa (not pictured) - had no luck on their deep sea fishing adventure.

They returned with no fish for dinner. In fact, of the more than 50 people on the boat, only one left with a fish - and he left with but one.

So Dad, whose turn it was to cook on this night, went to the grocery store and happened to find Cape Cod striped bass. Problem solved.

Meanwhile, Mom and Aunt Rachel took the kids to the beach.

Notice that no one in these photos went more than ankle deep in the water. It was frigid. It seemed to Dad no different than the beach water in Maine. Just plain intolerable.

Keep that in mind, now. For sometime after dinner, Dan, we believe, proposed that the boys swim to the dock to see who could get there first. That was an insane idea, no doubt.

But look here. Dad's lined up anyway. Let's see how this goes.

Yes, Dad and Colin quit.

Yes, Dan and Andy got to the dock. Bully for them. And, yes, Dan won.

But Dad is not ashamed to say that it was just too damn cold, so cold that his legs hurt walking back to shore.

How two could tolerate it and two could not, well, we'll leave that to your imagination.