saturday exploring...

first up, would like to wish all those mothers out there a happy mother's day! i will need to call mine shortly, although i know she enjoys a late morning start when she is able, so for now i'll let her sleep. i'll be mostly hanging around home today i think, nursing a bit of a cold. i had just a sore throat for a few days that i thought was getting better, but then i suppose i brought a full congestion upon myself by taking a long walk yesterday in sandals, including a few dips for my feet in the ocean. ah well, hope you will enjoy my shots of the beach!



in the two photos above, are lewis' moon snail shells. the one at top is about 5" across, and the biggest i have ever seen (they can get to about 5 1/2"), while the broken one was perhaps half that size. there were numerous broken shells on the mud flats so it is obviously a common area for them - lots of other animals to feed on. the flats were covered in mudflat snails, which i have not see in such quantity before - they have a neat elongated shape (sorry no pic).



i went for a walk with a friend of mine, and her dog Lyla, who ended up in many of my shots. the tide was very low, and we walked all the way around the spit. it was very interesting for my nature nerd self, exploring the open sand on the outside of the spit, and then the mud flats on the inside, and the different sea life on each.



sand dollars could be found on both sides, many dark coloured live ones as well as bleached white shells. this one had the most interesting patterning - although dead, i think it was still transitioning between its former black fuzzy self and the white shell it will become.



lots of crabs out exploring too. this little guy is a kelp crab i think, possibly a northern or slender kelp crab. including legs was maybe as long as my pinky finger (a couple inches).



we started walking in rain, after sitting in the car for a bit hoping it might stop (we were poorly dressed for it - bad west coasters!). but luckily the rain stopped not long into our walk and held off for the remainder. nonetheless, we could see it all around us, moving across the bay and the hills in sheets. quite amazing the way it hangs in the air.



lastly, i just had to share this shot of Lyla running with abandon across the sand. she was so happy to be out exploring with us, and raced around in sheer joy. wishing you all a happy sunday! i'll be back tomorrow with a bit of stitching to share.