The Children, Part II.

Intrepid Stella A. and Young Leo J. maintain ferociously busy schedules. There's homework to be ignored, vegetables to be refused, guinea-pigs to be cuddled, fish tanks to be scrubbed, beds not to be made, baths to he fought against, parents to be lipped off to, a whole arsenal of small electronic beeping things to be endlessly fiddled with, game pieces to be thrown at each other... great zounds, the Palmerlets are simply swamped. It's exhausting. Were it not for their youthful vitality and a certain most likely congenital elan of spirit, why, I don't see how they could keep up.

Naturally, the children value their down-time as much as their parents do. And their mother and I endeavor to teach them the benefits of leisure as an opportunity to rejuvenate one's flagging reserves of mental and physical energy.

Here are a few snapshots of the precious poppets enjoying a trip to the beach, where, of course, we rough it in our humble 30-bedroom beach cabin on the Isle of Palms after cruising down the Mississippi, through the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida, and up the Atlantic Coast in my 180-ft yacht, the "Raconteur," commanded by the redoubtable Cap'n Stabbin and his crew of voluptuous sea-minxes.



Here, the salty little pishers can't wait to show Daddy some of the treasures they've found on the beach!

And in this one, the sun-kissed little Palmerlings enjoy a spot of windsurfing. One needn't sacrifice physical fitness on vacation!