Sun of a Beach - 3/13/15

Or - A Day of Firsts . . . 

It was a great day. The morning had semi-clear skies and some warm weather just made for some walkin' on the beach. And we did.

And it was a day of firsts. 

It was the day of our first real walk on the beach where we both just decided to go and take a stroll along the coast.

It was the first time I've stuck a toe into the Pacific.

It was a day for my first semi-decent picture of a bird near our feeders.

And it was the first time I have ever seen a starfish in its natural environment.

See? Plenty of firsts.

And here he is, the first one for LCO. We think this is a wren. And when I say we, I mean Carol. 

That should be pretty obvious by now, eh?

And we headed down the beach access donated by Grace Hammond. Thanks, Gracie!!

            CB

And when we got to the water, this one decided to get adventurous. Hahaha, she would go out when the water receded, get a picture and then race back before the water could get to her.

She was, surprisingly, pretty fast on her feet.

Because the seas, they were angry!!

The tide was coming in. When it's out, we can walk out to this rock. Oh, it's also the one I watch the waves crash over as I sit in the comfort of my living room.

Hahahahahahaha!!

Once we got to the beach, I turned back and got this shot of mi casa.

There it is, the little one behind the big ugly one. Which is a crying shame. With just a little TLC and a couple of coats of paint that place could be a beauty.

Ah, it was so cool being on the beach. The roar of the ocean and the breeze.

Great!!

This one was enjoying it.

            CB

Looking north up the beach. I'm guessing that surfing isn't too big down at this end of the beach. Just a guess.

And I thought I should document this return to the ocean. I think the last time I touched the Pacific Ocean was in 2008 when the kids went camping at Ocean Shores. And I did dip a toe in the Atlantic in 2013 when we had the Family Reunion in North Carolina.

Woo, woo!! Slow, Speed Racer!!

And unbeknownst to me, Carol Anne was doing the very same thing with her own camera.

Hahaha, great minds and all that.

Hey, look!! We even shot the same foot!!

How weird is that!?!

            CB

The waves roll in and the waves roll out.

Carol was all over the beach. She's in her element. 

Sea Anemones.

Fun Facts: More stuff I didn't know. Sea Anemones are a group of water-dwelling, predatory animals. See, I didn't know that. They looked rather benign to me but, look, they're predatory animals . . . like me.

Here it gets a bit freaky but the mouth is also the anus of the sea anemone. It's right in the middle. The tentacles that surround the, uh, mouth are used to capture its prey and to defend itself. Each one contains a small venom vesicle filled with actinotoxins. A touch to the hair on the tentacle mechanically triggers a cell explosion which launches a harpoon-like structure that attaches to whatever touched it and injects a dose of venom in the flesh of the aggressor or prey.

Oh, they generally eat small fish and shrimp.

You'll be seeing more of these vicious predators of the ocean later.

Hahaha, because it had a seagull on it.

Yesterday the mist off the ocean was almost like a fog and it reached almost half-a-mile in to the city. Today it was like a haze at either end of the beach.

And, a starfish.

I've seen them in aquariums before but never in their own natural setting.

Can't say that anymore!!

Fun Facts: Although they're named starfish, they're not related to fish at all. Starfish belong to the group of marine invertebrates which also include sea cucumber, sea urchin and sand dollar.

Their star-like shape is the reason why they're called starfish or sea stars. Most species have five arms but there are sea stars with ten, twenty or even forty arms. If they have forty arms, they're called sun stars. If they have forty arms I'm calling them creepy and staying far away.

They vary in size. Usually they're 5 to 10 inches in length and can weigh up to 11 pounds. Really!?! Eleven pounds!?!

One common feature for all starfish and, even, sun stars, is that their body is radially symmetrical. Their bodies can be divided in five equal pieces . . . even if they have more than five arms.

And, like the predatory Sea Anemone, the starfish is a carnivore who likes to eat clams, shells and mussels. It has two stomachs (that's handy), one of which can be pushed outside the body during eating. This allows them to eat large prey that can't be swallowed with their small mouth.

Wha . . . !?!

Hahaha, I'm still trying to wrap my meager intellect around the fact that both these slugs are predators.

And another one!! Hahahaha, I'm liking taking pictures of starfish. 

They know how to hold a pose for you.

And here's two of my favorite Coastal animals.

Then we saw this. 

Awesome!!

Some Sea Anemones. I think I'll be a bit more careful around  these innocuous looking little poisonous flowers.

            CB

Today was my white Skipper's hat. Oh, another first!! The first time I've worn a pair of shorts this year!!

Hahahahaha . . . 

            CB

Carol got down really close for this shot with her cell phone.

Tres impresivo, y'all!!

            CB

Mind you, this killer was underwater when this picture was taken.

The water was clear and, surprisingly, not cold. Oh, it was a little but nothing like the Atlantic. In fact, Carol and I were wading for most of the time walking up past the casino. Very pleasant.

            CB

Like a flower garden.

            CB

Now this was just plain odd. I just took a picture of it but I am still wondering why . . . why was this rose stuck in the sand out in the middle of a beach.

Same rose, different angle.

Odd.

And, finally, we made it back to our flip-flops. The deal is, we wear them down to the sand, stash them by the rocks and then barefoot it down the beach.

Perfection!!

Because we were . . . 

Hahahaha, I know. It is cheesy and you've already seen this picture but . . . 

This is one of the houses across the street from us. Tres nice.

That's the cottage directly across the street from us.

And the creek that runs under the street and down between us and the beach access.

What a good day. I can see a lot more walks along the beach in the future. Lots.

Hahahaha, I'm sorry.

Still, it was fun and we got to see some pretty amazing sights. And, eventually, I'll even get a bit better at taking pictures of mussels and anemones. You'll see.

All in all, life is very good.

     Hooah!!