Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: tide pool

(+5 insets) (very nice at full size!) (Please scroll down to "Today's Image" for photo info) Moving on From Harris Beach Steve and I spent a full two weeks here at Harris Beach State Park and while we were here, I got an endless variety of pictures, most of which I simply don't have time to post. I hope that at some point I can dip into this well of beautiful images to share some more but for now, it's time for me to step forward to our next stop! If you can believe it, these past 13 posts (since 11/01), brimming with insets and stories, are from exactly ONE of our campground stops. We were out for an astonishing six MONTHS and visited 20 campgrounds in that time! Every spot was like this in the number of adventures and never-ending photo opportunities. It really is completely staggering to think about. Grateful? OH MY YES. I count my lucky stars every time I think about our good fortune! And in the middle of a pandemic, no less. We are incredibly blessed and I am so glad that I can show you all some of the things I saw and experienced. Today is my last post from Harris Beach for now, but don't worry! This jaw-dropping place was also the very last stop for us before we came home in the middle of October…and once again, I filled folders with a totally different variety of incredible sights on that short, yet bountiful, five days. Today's Picture Another stunning look at a natural masterpiece, when I saw this I had to stop and just stare. It was captured at the upper edge of the tide pool area and shows the sculpted rocks with colorful algae adhered here and there. The contrast of light and shadow, shine and darkness, straight and round lines, dry and wet…really took my breath away. I tried many angles and different depths of field to capture the view and this was my favorite. Truly, a single picture cannot convey what I saw, but you will get the main idea: AWESOME! :) Today's Insets One of the fun things that happens on Harris Beach is the non-stop building of driftwood forts! There is a huge collection of logs and branches that wash up on the shore, and they collect at the tops of the beaches. People--especially kids, but adults play too!--will create a variety of lean-tos and elaborate log houses, some complete with driftwood roofs. Most will wash away during high-tide, but some stay to be admired or worked on. One picture shows a driftwood fort, another picture shows a pretty group of colorful logs. I also have another picture which shows part of the tidepool area and gives an idea of the huge place I got to explore. If you consider the investigation through a macro lens, what you see is the equivalent of countless miles to discover! Finally, a pair of images to show some more tide pool life: a still-life of black turban shells with sucked-in anemones, and a rocky crevice where a group of anemones waits for the waves to return so they might extend their tentacles again for a passing feast. Thank You So Much Wow, I am so glad that my last post was such fun for everyone. I sometimes wonder if I bore you all to death with my reports. I try to make it easy for people just passing by to look at the pictures and understand what's going on with my shorter photo descriptions. I get it! We don't all have time to read War & Peace! :D However, it's extremely gratifying and joyful to see that some of you do have the time and better still, you really like what I have to say! It's the very best feeling to me, bringing happiness when I can! So THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. You folks--all of you--make my life so much happier and fulfilled! Hope your week is going well--let's all be extra careful these days…it's getting really scary again!! Explored on 11/30/21; highest placement #2.

(+5 insets) Memories of Tide Pools as a Kid I remember when I was a kid, raised in San Francisco, and one day my elementary class went on a field trip to the beach where there were tide pools. I'll never forget the first time I saw a starfish clinging to the rocks, sea anemones, mussels and limpets. There were real crabs--Dungeness and hermit--scrabbling around too! It was incredible to me and I hoped to visit more tide pools whenever I could! What I didn't know is that those were the very last tide pools on San Francisco beaches. The next time I went to visit the same area, the tide pools were gone. The only thing that remained were bleached limpet shells and some remaining but empty mussels. What a shock to my pre-teen eyes to be faced with the reality of over-visitation and pollution on a delicate biome. There are still plenty of fantastic tide pools to explore near San Francisco but as far as I know, the tide pools never made a comeback. Harris Beach has Tide Pools! I was really excited when I read about this popular state park and learned about one of its popular features: tide pools! Between this park's south and north beaches is an area at the water's edge littered with tightly packed rocks and boulders of all sizes. When the tide is out, careful visitors can discover the incredible diversity of life that makes its home there. One day I made sure to time my visit so I'd have plenty of time exploring the pools without worrying about waves catching me while I was taking pictures. I was immediately transported back to myself as a child, exploring with rapt joy and discovering the special plants and animals that made their home there. One thing I love to do is find a perfect pool, freeze and wait. After a few minutes, the seemingly empty pool wakes up and out come different species of crabs and other life forms, crawling around and looking for food. What fun! Today's Picture Who doesn't love a star fish? I was so excited when I found this perfectly-shaped Sea Star in a place where I could get a nice picture. I think it looks very happy to see me, don't you?! I'm lucky to see it too, because in 2014, a horrible wasting disease hit the west coast of North America and killed off millions of starfish between Alaska and Mexico. Recovery has been slow in many areas but some places, like Harris Beach, have sprung back in a wonderful way! I had no idea about this tragedy and I'm so happy I got to see some beautiful star fish on my visit to the tide pools on Harris Beach! (For more information, please visit this link: www.nps.gov/im/swan/ssws.htm ) Today's Insets I'm including a really cool find--a group of sea stars partially buried by sand, right where the waves were lapping. I'm also including a picture of barnacles with barnacle bokeh, an image of striped Shield Limpets with barnacles and a bit of kelp, a photo that shows a pair of closed-up anemones and Northern Stiped Dogwinkles and finally, a picture of the tide pool area! I have gotten so many countless pictures of the treasures there, I could spend weeks sharing my discoveries! I'll be posting another set in the coming Harris Beach report, maybe more! Thank You For Stopping By! While Steve and I were away on our trip, internet was often not available and it was frustrating that I couldn't make my rounds to say hello. So I've really been enjoying myself as I hop from one stream to another, reacquainting myself with all of your wonderful photography and chatting happily back and forth! Thanks so much for coming by and leaving comments and stars! It totally makes my day. I hope that each of you has a wonderful new week as we march into November! Explored on 11/8/21; highest placement #4.