national park bees

All summer long - after breakfast has been a workout to clean up, change, and lather up the three kids.  With the relatives here, clean up is going easier and today the kids did something weird.  They went up stairs, changed themselves and Tuana (whom I hadn't realized had climbed the stairs too), and came back down ready to go.  I have been waiting for this day all summer long....

We took our cousins to the beach yesterday and today.  It's been unusually windy and wavy.  Even cool.  I hardly ever use a towel in the summer - there is no need: the sun is hot, the water is warm, even the breeze is hot.  But this summer my kids have often been shivering and more than once we've wrapped them up in towels to warm them.

But the water still is warm.  The water wasn't as clear as usual yesterday, but beautiful as always.  We rented chaise lounges and spent much of the day playing in the sand, under umbrellas, and swimming.

Today we were up early, prepared a cooler of breakfast items and thermoses of tea.  We bought simit, poagca, and fruit and drove to the Mille park - the national park.  It's on a mountain - actually, I don't know when something its called a mountain - but it looks dramatic enough to a mountain, or peak, cliff.  The road gently curves down he side and parked on the pebble beach.  The water is marvelously clear here as no sand is kicked up from the waves, it's protect from the wind, and its generally more rocky.  The water feels colder too - it's beautiful.

But, before even setting up - we changed our mind.  There were many bees.  The national park's bee season runs from mid-August to mid-September and there is no escaping them.  They aren't even honey producing bees - they are just stinging bees.  We travelled farther into the park, checking a couple of other locations but the bees were relentless - there were constantly two or three and more swarming around us.  It would only get worse once we took out the food, or got wet.  We gave up and found a picnic area outside the park to eat out breakfast - the kids were starving by now and it was enough for them to chase the chickens and cats around  in the area we sat.  Teoman was excited about the cave.  Actually, Tuana was too and was insisting to climb down into and jump in the water like everyone else.