How much are those birdies at the beach?

We went to the beach yesterday, one last time before fall came in full force. It was sunny, but cold when we left. When we got there, it was cloudy and the ocean was freezing! Thankfully, Benjamin agreed and though he really loves the ocean, he didn't go in much past his ankles. We're talking so cold that it actually stung when it touched your feet. So we decided to wrangle him in and leave when he plopped his butt down in the sand and started using half a sand dollar as a shovel and digging in the muck. We let him for awhile, because it was ultra-cute, but the tide was coming in and each wave was getting a little closer to where he was sitting. Finally, we scooped him up and we were headed toward the car when we saw a young couple with a big bag of Wonderbread.

OH NO! They wouldn't! No one is that stupid ... never mind. Yes. They are feeding the seagulls. Ten seagulls become 50 in like three seconds. More are coming from who knows where. Ben is amazed. We let him barrel toward the mass of them, thinking it will help this couple to have a toddler scatter the birds. They look like they're in over their heads. Some of the gulls are standing on their car.

"Nice hood ornament!" my husband shouts to the guy. He glaces over, sees the birds on the car and laughs. We were just about close enough to tell them that feeding the birds is stupid when they GIVE BENJAMIN A PIECE OF BREAD.

OMFG. He doesn't know to throw it. He looks at it quizzically, and the birds are swarming around him, some hovering in midair at his eye level and just above his head. I run to him, start grabbing pinches of bread off of the slice and chucking them really really far away from him. Thankfully, he doesn't seem traumatized. Actually, he's kinda sad when the birds aren't so close anymore. I mean, isn't that a toddler's dream, to actually CATCH the birds you've been chasing for so long? Ha ha ha. I'm glad there were no injuries though. Seagulls are unpredictable, you know?