Tidepool Addiction

We have the tide perfectly timed now--we can go in early (around 8:30 a.m.) and soak for a couple of hours, then come out to dry, before returning to soak again around 1:00,  This morning, Liz and i ventured down early and the tide had`gone out just far enough to expose our favorite tidepool  The water is clear and the pool is about three feet deep at its deepest.

The two rocks on the right in the picture below are  located perfectly for leaning against, stretching across the pool with your toes touching the rock on the opposite side, keeping you wedged so the salty, buoyant sea does not float you away.

There we sat and soaked in the sea water (not as warm as in the afternoon before the tide starts coming back in) watching all manners of tropical fish--two or three kinds of sculpin, the cute little striped guys that are everywhere, sea slugs, harlequin-colored fish, sea worms coming out of their crevice then darting back, hermit crab and other snail shell occupiers--just being still and exploring the clear`water around where we lazed was almost like snorkeling.  Then, behind us about thirty feet on the dark rocky cliff, four iguanas spent time fighting each other--chasing one another across the rocks, Life is good.

We decided at last that we ought to get out for a little bit to dry off, plus Helen hadn't made it down, so we strolled back to our house, finding that Helen had not been able to lock and then unlock her door with the key, and she hadn't wanted to leave the house unlocked.    It doesn't seem like our key works on the back or side doors, so I had told Helen she would have to go our the front them come down the side of the house, but she must not have heard me.  She will go out with us when we go out again in an hour or so,

Meanwhile, Lizzie was sitting by out pool drying when she saw a crab had somehow made its way from the beach into our pool.

Thinking the spa water would not be good for the little guy, she used a little scoop net to try to catch it, having it chase it around a little bit before she snagged him:

After`catching him, she returned the little guy (or gal) to the beach.

This is our last day, and we have had a lot of fun--too short, of course!