A Real Mans Man/(Boy)

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When I grow up I want to be just like my son. He is fearless and care not what the world thinks. He has these really square guy feet. They're like little bricks. In fact he is a little brick. Even seince he was a baby he has been a brick. That stuff on his face isn't mud it's octopus ink.

Today, after house church, he and I walk down to the beach to sit in the sun and read (If we felt like it.) We sat by the sea pool at the Estoril beach and he proceded to foot slide on the moss around the sea pool, in his Speedo .( A trick he learned from Dane Uhler and Jesse Borden. Not the Speedo part, just the sliding) It was fun and I almost stopped him a few times because I thought he could get hurt doing it. Foot sliding is the same thing as sock sliding on a wood floor, but you are bare foot on moss. But I held my tounge and watched him have a blast, and a few spills. I was glad he didn't bust his head.

It was a good father/son time. We drank sodas and enjoyed the sun. There was a constant courus of "Hey Dad watch this!" Followed by a death defying slide of about 6ft. The reserved Portugese watched out of the cornder of their eye. I mean what was this kid doing running around in a swimming suit in November, even if it was 80 degrees out today. I thought this is just what he needs so who cares what anyone thinks. Then came the call. Dad, dad, dad, look. Come look! It's an octopus." The sea pools is only about 2 ft deep at the shallow end and the water was crystal clear, so you could see really well. Sure enough there was a small octopus there. Its head was about the size of an egg plant. Noah was in the water in a flash. I'm yelling Grab it! Grab it!

Now let me be honest I would have been nervous grabbing it, but buddy boy went right at it. I'm yelling Grab it!, but in my head i'm thinking, "Do octopus have those beaks that can take chunks out of you?" It's in the rocks at the side of the pool and Noah is sticking his arm under there, face in the water becuase he has to dig under the rocks. The little think skirts to a new spot and then Noah screams. His arm flashes out of the water. "Did you see that he tried to grab me and pull me in." Then he grabs for him again and brings that little guys up to the edge. There is a thrashing and BAM! Black ink in the face. At that point I would have dropped him, but my boy held on and we landed that little guy buy hand. The smile was worth a million bucks.

We looked at him and set him back in the water. Those little suction cups really do stick to ya, I'll tell you that. With our hunting victory fresh in our minds we headed home. Our spirit of adventure well satisfied. I told him if I knew how to cook octopus we could have eatten him. He said he's a catch and release kind of guy. Sensetive, tough, fearless and enviromentally consience. Like I said, when I grow up I want to be like my son.