You know that moment when you realize that you desperately need to make a trip to the grocery store? The refrigerator has katsup, olives, and half an inch of milk, the cereal box has two crushed tablespoons of stale flakes left, and your only produce is a bruised apple. You stop and think, should I head out now? You check the clock to make sure it’s not an hour before dinner. Maybe you check to make sure the traffic isn’t going to be too bad and that you’ll be able to make the necessary left turn to get home again.

I have a new consideration now, the tide. You see, bringing home groceries involves carrying them or, in cases of a real stocking up, pushing a bicycle wheeled dock cart out to the boat. The trick of this process comes with the ramp that connects solid land to floating dock. At high tide, no big deal, it looks like this.

But at low tide?

Remind me to never again try to navigate a full dock cart and an overtired two year old back to the boat at low tide. It’s better to starve.