Something that I loved about growing up in Crescent Beach was the swim club. In the summer no matter where you were in the beach area, there was a gang of kids of one age or another, riding around on bikes, playing on the grass in front of Openheimer's before the foot races, swimming at the beach at the foot of Target Street, or exploring Blackie's Spit and all its mystery and wonder. The adults were close enough to be there, but the kids were far away enough to feel sort of on their own, and free.
Here, we are a little more confined to the walls of the condominium (not that we can't go out, but it's not somewhere you want your kids to on their bikes given the traffic scene), but even so, you see the teenagers hanging on the corner of one block - generally a few on bikes, a few standing around, you see the little ones under five riding their bikes "independently" with daddy about 50 meters behind walking, you see moms with one babe in a stroller and two other little ladies walking to the playground, and you see the kids just being kids on the soccer field, playing, wrestling, chasing each other, finding a dog to pet, deciding who is in charge, crying because they aren't, etc. This kids also have their "explorer" areas, which basically consists of the hillside and bushes around the rec center that separates the houses from the activity areas. You'll see them looking for bugs, playing interesting made-up games, and using their exploration imagination quite well.
Last night, while at one of our common weekend grill-outs/bbqs - I was thoroughly enjoying the company of two of my favorite young ladies. After painting nails at the picnic table with the help of another grown up, we were sitting up on a big outdoor loungy-couch thing and telling stories of Lazybonia. (Based on a storybook that I can't seem to find anywhere). We were making up stories about Marnie McMac and Cheese, Leila Lemonbottoms, and Tom O'Turkeylegs. Generally I'll do something like this for a while then I'll get attacked by a band of 3-4 year olds all running around wanting to cause some mischief. Then one of the little ones aged 2 or so, will come over and sit in my lap for a visit, and maybe we will eat some snacks of grilled fillet chopped up into bitesize pieces for toddler and KC consumption. Paul gets involved in some serious wrestling and chasing sessions, chats with a few of the little ones, and all in all enjoys watching the kids be as cute and hilarious as they are.
Yes there are tears, yes, there are times when I want to be with the grownups only, and yes, sometimes it's a late night for wee ones because mom and dad are just having too much fun with their friends too, but it's such a great way to spend an evening.
I sometimes have flashbacks to when the parents were enjoying summer as much as the kids were in Crescent Beach (because it's a generational summer camp for the whole family, and when you're a parent who played with the same people 30 years ago, it still feels like you're 5 or 7 or 9 or 11 or 12, 15, etc.) And when I do, I get a huge smile remembering how great I thought childhood was, especially during those CBSC times, and I wish my summers were still back in Crescent. That these kids are getting something sort of similar, but on the middle of the coast of Africa instead of Vancouver, is pretty great.
Being expats, we will likely see a lot of them again - either overseas, in Houston, or in California, and I get excited to think about watching them grow up. So for Nico, Aaron, Nadia, Jackson, Joey, Violet, Sophie, Hattie Grace, and all the others, I look forward to watching you all grow and look back fondly on the Monte Belo days, and that crazy Miss KC who was always doing something soooo silly.
