Sand Wars - An Epic Battle

(By Mike Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs)

I've had several people asking me to post the pictures of the Epic Sand Fight that Cindy got into with her brother Chris last weekend in Carpinteria... So even though I should be sleeping, I'm tirelessly bringing the people what they want! VIVA LA BLOGGER!

Be warned - there are going to be a lot of pictures in this post. But think about it - when have you ever heard of an Epic Battle that didn't require a lot of pictures? Well there ya go. And on with the evidence! (click any of the pictures for the full, high definition battle royal)

As I mentioned near the close of the last record, Cindy did a sneak attack on Chris, by scooping up a big pile of sand with her foot and flinging it at him. Classic! Like so many comic book wimps of my childhood, getting sand kicked on them!

Just one problem... Chris didn't need to wait 6 to 8 weeks for Mr. Atlas' Muscle Building Kit to arrive in the mail. His many years in the Navy had prepared him for a moment such as this. By the time I got the camera on them, he was winding up for his first counter attack:



...and here's the pitch...



STEEEEEEEEE-RIKE!!!



Now, if you know my wife, you know that she doesn't take kindly to being struck. Even when it's by sand, courtesy of her baby brother. She was off after him with a fresh fistfull, and he was on the run!



Chris' next skirmish was using the Sand Shotgun approach. Notice how as he's throwing, there are already Sand Shrapnel pieces coming off...



...but it really came apart in the air...



...and Cindy retreated to the safety of the surf...



...where she quickly reloaded and began her next offensive! (while her stepdad Joe looked on, taking in the epic scope of it all)



Chris wasn't having any of that intimidation nonsense... He was all "Bring it on!"



Until she DID bring it on, at which point he went into a position I like to call "Oh Crap, She's Bringing It On!" or alternatively, "Invisible Beach Chair".



And Cindy Brought It.



Then Chris brought it back. (he must have kept his receipt!)



One final blow from Cindy...



And Chris went into "RETREAT!!!" mode. He had actually just fallen on his butt in the surf, but I was laughing so hard I missed the shot. Trust me, this one is only about half a second later... it was a quick recovery...



Watching her opponent slither up to dry land with his tail between his legs, my sweet, lovely wife struck a victory pose!



And then after thoroughly checking to make sure that neither of them was packing more sand grenades, a nice siblingly hug to show that it was all just fun and games!



Wow, doing play-by-play color commentary for a sand fight is a lot of work! Makes me wish I was back on that warm beach, relaxing and enjoying myself. But since that's not gonna happen, I may as well go to bed. Morning will come shockingly early as it is...