Marco Polo

Okay, this is rather embarrassing. I learned how to play Marco Polo this summer.
I don't know how I missed that in my childhood but I never got it. This summer at the beach Travis taught Jake and Max how to play in the frigid pool at the house. It was incredibly diverting. Two shivering boys giggling their way around the pool with a "blind" Travis telling them they were making it waaaaay too easy on him. The poor boys would stay in the water until they were shivering and their lips turned blue then they would make a dash for the hot tub. They spent a large portion of their pool time in the hot tub. From which they would toastily bask in the jeers of the adults gathered and could not be enticed back into the pool. At other times, they enjoyed lobbing freezing, water-filled balls from the pool at their unsuspecting sisters lounging in the hot tub with their pool noodles.

Julia now feels that no beach house is complete without a hot tub and Jacob will not even look at a beach house that doesn't include a pool table. Jo, well, Jo found a way to make her preference known as well.


Jo, my ever intrepid, was fascinated by the pool. She took more than one header from the stairs and was utterly unconcerned about consequences. She played until her Mom finally made her go dry off and warm up and at one point she shivered for a good 30 minutes after being dry and in her fleece pj's. Mom wised up after that and consigned her to the hot tub though she was mightily suspicious of all the bubbles.

Jo happily played in the ocean and in the pool but could've done without the hot tub or the pool table. Jo must also have a sand hole to sit in to have a complete holiday.