alternative to sunscreen and other beach stories

Alternative to sunscreen? Remember the old days when we used to slather on suntan oil? Tropicana dark tanning oil...it smelled so good, but it was like being deep fried. No more of that these days. Who wants to look like a leather handbag in 10 years? Not me! I do like a little bit of tan though, don't you? Anyway, so we went to the beach and everyone was putting on SPF 30 or 45. I thought, I'll just put SPF 15 on my face and nothing else so I can get some sun quickly...I don't really burn so I was excited to get a little tan. However, much to my dismay, at the end of our first morning on the beach, and the next 4 days, I had zero sun. I wasn't even a little pink! What a load, man. So here is my theory about alternatives to sunscreen...I am so incredibly pale that I have actually started reflecting the sun's rays. Yeah, you heard me...reflecting. We were there for a week with perfect weather every single day and I didn't show any signs of tan until the day before we left...and now that it's been a week since we've been home the tan lines that I had as proof of soaking in some rays have faded almost completely. So that's my alternative, just reflect it. I'll spare you any pictures to prove it. I'm not ready to show you that.

So while we at the beach we went to Ripley's Aquarium. Ever been? You should go if you're at Myrtle Beach. It's a little pricey, but so worth it. Oh, we do love it. The girls had a great time. We got to pet and hold some horseshoe crabs, pet a sting ray, see a puffer while it was puffed, watch some scuba divers in the shark area, explore the new pirate exhibit (creepy, but cool), and more. So here are some pictures.

This is the horseshoe crab. The girls liked touching and looking, but wouldn't hold it.

Little Miss O liked the pirate stuff...arrrgggg matey!

The puffer tank had a cool tube you could stand in. When Tim got in there he scared the fish and he puffed! How cool is that? I have pics of everyone else in there too, but they only puffed for Tim.

This is a Weedy Sea Dragon...my personal favorite. God is amazing isn't He?!

We were out front and this cool Manta Ray fountain was too cool to pass up!

Here are the divers in the main tank. They each had a little black stick with white stripes. When the big sharks came close they would wave them around to make the sharks swim away. I'd want more than a stick, but it seemed to work for them. Maybe I should make one for my sister.