A little beach time . . .

"Every time I stand before a beautiful beach,

its waves seem to whisper to me: If you choose

the simple things and find joy in nature's

simple treasures, life and living need not be so hard."

- Roxas- Mendoza

Well, I haven't been here regularly lately . . . it's summer.

Summer means the house is a little busier, everyone is home,

and I'm finding it hard to be at the computer as much.

And that's a problem because I'm still taking photos,

and waaaay behind in editing.

And honestly, although I'm not unhappy, life just seems a little hard lately for many reasons

and when that happens I seem to want to spend a lot of quiet time on my front porch.

...at least until the mosquitoes drive me away.

We have managed to make it to the beach a few times in the last few weeks,

and gosh do I love spending time there!

This particular day, you could actually walk on the shore. This has been a record year for seaweed,

but you won't find me complaining about that. 

It's always fun to learn something new....you know those little holes along the shore where you see bubbles coming out of? Well, this is what lives in there, ghost shrimp.

And it's always fun to dig for sand crabs and watch them bury themselves again. They bury back in backwards so that they can use their antennae to feed.

The seagulls watch me carefully . . . 

And I learned a lesson...make sure the sea critters have buried themselves fully before standing back up

or they become snacks.

I wanted to let you know that I have not forgotten about my monarch series, I promise, and hope to

get that back on track soon. I have been sharing some short videos on instagram though and you can find me at kimatpickingpoppies.

And I almost forgot . . . It's my turn over at Focusing On Life today . . .and I'm exploring the possibility

that what we see through the lens might involve metaphors for our lives....join me?

Until next time,

Love, Kim

sharing with Texture Tuesday, Sweet Shot Tuesday

The seaweed is here {jumping for joy} . . .

"People protect what they love"

- Jacques Cousteau

Yes we do. We protect our families, our homes, our possessions.

We protect our freedom.

We do so with force and sometimes 'til death.

But in my humble opinion, we have failed epically to protect our environment and its precious resources.

Everything was put here on this Earth to fulfill a purpose.

Not just for our sustainability, but also for our pleasure.

So, without further delay, I'm here today to help you fall in love . . . with a frogfish! lol
Oh yeah, you're gonna wish you could hold one when this is over

Do you remember I finally found one last year in the sargassum seaweed? Well, in my only two visits to the beach so far this year (yes that comes as a shock to me too-the two part not the visit), I not only found one but I found 5!

I was so happy to get to the beach AND see the seaweed  . . .  I skipped straight into the water!!

And I'm not the only one that gets excited for this massive entrance of seaweed dinner.

The seagulls can almost always be found waiting for their fair share of seaweed critters to snatch up.

I was only going to go and stay for a few hours . . . 

. . . but me and my handy dandy blue net (you remember that one) were having way too much fun!

The waves AND the seaweed were crashing into the shore (and my legs). Always takes just a bit to desensitize my legs to that feeling of something crawling on me. But as you start to hit pay dirt, you just kinda forget about it.

The one I found last year was probably about twice this size, and they can reach up to 7.5".

Such a fascinating looking fish complete with weedy dermal appendages that help it to blend right in. Ever seen a fish with blue eyes? Me either. 

They depend on their camouflage for protection since this fish has no scales.

Now watch what happens when I put him in the water . . . 

Ta da, just look at all those crazy appendages, isn't it cute! Do you see the sargassum shrimp on the left?

Oh yeah, I caught a ton of millet too. These are used a lot as bait fish, when they get larger of course.

As I was photographing these through my temporary aquarium glass jar, I hear someone say excuse me.

I turn around and it's a white truck with the words, Texas Parks and Wildlife! Ruh roh, and then he asks me, "Whatcha got there"? Whew, he was really just interested in what I had in the container, and was a little surprised that I caught them in my little kids net. 

1. I could live at the beach (shocker)

2. I go to the beach to relax, but I never sit down...hardly ever (another shocker)

3. I love the seaweed . . . people think I'm crazy (I know, shocked again)

4. There is almost 100 species of marine life that lives in that seaweed (I heard ya say wow)

5. I'm on a mission to find them all (of course you're not surprised) 

Sargassum shrimp...check

Sargassum frogfish...check

sargassum crab...check

nudibranch...check

cute little fish I do not know the name of ...check  

The problem is, people look at the seaweed as a smelly glass that is half empty . . . 

But really it's half chocked full of really cool sea life!!

I can tell you nearly 9.5 times out of 10 after someone asks me why I'm shaking the seaweed

they had no idea all these things live in there and then they get really interested. In fact, most of the things that do live in it can be found no where else, exclusive to this seaweed.

From experience I have found that people warm up to things they may fear when they have some knowledge
and understanding . . . which may lead to interest and caring about it . . . which may lead to loving it.

And,

People protect what they love.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Love, Kim
XO

Sharing with Little Things Thursday, Friday Photo Journal, Finding Serendipity {1440}

Random 5 Friday

Drifting along . . .

"We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."

-Dolly Parton

Oh, I would like to adjust those sails alright, by taking them down and just drifting for a bit.

I've still just not quite adjusted to the schedule of school yet, and being gone three nights during the weekday's, doesn't help - although we do love our football! So I'm pretending that I'm on that sailboat, with its sails down, 'cause it doesn't look like they're coming back for me! ; )

I did manage to get to the sunrise last weekend and I remembered reading in one of my photography books

that you could get a moonrise like photo if you changed the white balance. So I took a few with it set to incandescent, and although I'm not so sure it looks like a moonrise, I do like the effect.

{ Shoot.Edit.Submit}

And a short visit to the beach . . . I just love watching the pelicans skim those waves!

I kept seeing more and more pelicans, unusually so, flying by me, and then realized that they were landing on the State Park beach. I don't think in all the times I have been that I have ever seen them in this spot. But my euphoria didn't last long, as I was spotted and right on cue they all took off together. With a wing span of 6-8 feet, I have no idea how they take off with out getting tangled in one another....especially since they were standing so close to each other.

But this cormorant didn't mind me too much, even sang me a little tune of Galveston, Oh Galveston.

And what's a day at the beach without a few friends.  But apparently they don't like fudge poptarts . . .

Or they were just holding out for my Cheetos . . . oh do they ever like their Cheetos!

This week at Photo Art Friday Bonnie gave us a theme of movement. I overlayed two images and added two layers of her texture mauve threads. I think it surely works well with water and gives more movement to the piece. 

And my submission to Flower Art Friday with  two layers of Kim Klassen's texture take heart at hardlight.

{Photographers choice - Photograph life }

Happy Friday to you, and I hope your weekend is a restful one!!

Love, Kim

XO

Linking up to Flower Art Friday, Photo Art Friday, Mom Tried It, Photograph life,

Finding Serendipity {1440}

Something about an oyster?

While at the beach this week, discovering, well maybe not in the sense of something

that has never been seen before but in the discovery of something I have never seen before,

this popped into my head:

"The world is my oyster"

It's certainly not something I hear very often, and I'm not even sure where I first heard it.

But apparently it comes from Shakespeare, and yes I googled it.

The Merry Wives of Windsor Act 2, scene 2, 2-5

Falstaff: I will not lend thee a penny

Pistol: Why then the world's mine oyster,

which with sword I will open.

Falstaff: Not a penny

Hmmm, I'm thinking Pistol is threatening to steal from Falstaff and everyone else. Just a thought

but then again I've never really understood Shakespeare. I don't really like this version very much.

So I'm going with my original thought, and that's probably not original either, that the world

is my oyster, that life is full of treasures just waiting for us to notice. And these treasures aren't

even something we need to steal from anyone, they are just simply the gifts of the earth.

"The world is my oyster clam"

Sometimes you have to improvise . . .

{Photo Art Friday - Golden Bokeh, hardlight 32%}

The ocean seems to be throwing a lot of gifts my way lately . . . okay it might also be with

the help of my handy dandy blue kids net we bought when they were little. It seems to be my lucky charm.

SO,

the other day I had this idea and thought how cool would it be to actually see the things I find in their

natural habitat rather than in my handy dandy blue net.

Welcome to Kim's aquarium....

Can you hear me squeal with joy! I found the best glass container, AND it was on sale, to take with

me to the beach for my blue net finds. Oh but the squeal wasn't because of the container. . . I found a new kind of fish in the seaweed. They look like their tails were cut off but really the tail and their pectoral fin is completely see through, and why at first I didn't notice them in my net. They looked like a small brown frond, that and they aren't even the size of a dime. Aren't they cute!!

These aren't the greatest pictures, it's hard to shoot through glass and less than clear water and well,

they never stop moving.

And Mr. Crab, I think I may know where "crabby" comes from. He definitely needed an attitude adjustment as he wasn't playing very nice with the others. And perhaps it was his cousin Vinny that stabbed my ankle

whilst standing knee deep with my net, and gosh it hurt and broke the skin. Well at least I'm going with that 'cause the thought of it being something else kinds freaks me out a bit.

I had another first . . . a water spout!

And this storm formed fast, and it wasn't just one, but at one time there were five trying to start.

If you look really closely you can see where the water spout is touching the water as it sprays out.

But the excitement dwindled after about 20 minutes....

And this one, I can't seem to get enough of these wildflowers that grow along the road to "my oyster". 

{Flower Art Friday}

The world is an oyster . . . pearls are found in oysters. Some pearls are very valuable.

The. World. Is. An. Oyster!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

(School's ...out...for...summer)

Love, Kim

XO

  

Choose it . . .

Today in my Beyond Layers class, Kim asks, "Where do you find peace?"

Oh, a question that I don't have to hesitate on, or do I?

My immediate response is, of course . . . at the beach!

  I could live there, on the beach falling asleep to the crashing waves and the sea breeze.

It's a place where I feel quiet, and still, and thoughtful.

And it's a place where my worries seem to melt away.

But what makes the beach, and the experience of the ocean so different.

Is is really where I find peace, or is it just simply where I allow myself to feel peaceful.

And is peace something you can even find?

Because if it is something you can find then it should also be something you can seek.

Which brings me to the thought that peace is a choice we make, and why sometimes we are at war

with each other and ourselves.

{ my view along the path to the beach }

[ Kim Klassen's texture "warm sun" ]

"If you go, go in Peace it makes the flowers sweeter along the path."

-  Mike Dolan

** Almost forgot . . . I was invited to guest post over at Focusing On Life today where I am **

sharing some thoughts on "What is Beauty" and would love for you to click here to check it out!!

Love, Kim

XO

 

Foto Friday . . . trash or treasure?

Yesterday, I went to Galveston, to the beach . .

and there it was, the seaweed. Lots, and lots of it.

I would say that the majority of people find the seaweed, well nasty.

On the other hand, I'm over the moon when I find masses of it.

I got out of the car and headed towards the beach.

The first thing I did was start picking up clumps of the seaweed and shaking it.

You see, it's not just seaweed, it's life.

It provides shelter and food and is such an incredible habitat

that plays an important role in the life cycle of hundreds of marine animals.

Shortly after I started "shaking" a man came over and was curious as to what

I was doing. I explained to him that I was looking for the critters that live in this sargassum seaweed.

 As we were talking a few sargassum shrimp fell out and he called

his kids over to look at it. Our excitement peeked more curiosity and before I knew

it there was a handful of people shaking the seaweed!

He confessed to me that when they first got there that their thoughts were, ugh seaweed.

And now that he knew there were things living in it his perspective has changed to, wow seaweed.

I love that.

The first photo is a sargassum shrimp - it looks just like a frond from the seaweed.

The second photo is a sargassum crab, and she has an egg sac under her tail!

The first photo, and I'm just guessing here, looks like an egg sac of some kind. All of those yellow

ribbons are actually made up of what looks like little yellow eggs.

And then....he came over to show me something I have never seen before, and we figured it was some kind of snail or slug.  It's called a sargassum nudibranch or sea slug.

I decided to leave this spot and head to my "go to", park right on the beach and back up spot

so that I didn't have to carry my chair and had better access to my car for my nets and buckets and . . . .

Wow, there was so much seaweed that there was no direct access to the shoreline except for walking

over all the seaweed and wading knee deep in it. And in order to find anything I had to be where all the

fresh seaweed was. Hmmm, at first it was a little strange having so much seaweed thrown against my legs

by the waves, but . . . and hang on to your seats, I finally found something I have looked for but never seen.

My eye caught a glimpse of of something white so I quickly grabbed a large clump and through it on top of

the already piled up seaweed and there it was, a sargassum fish also known as an angler, or frog fish.

And it was beautiful!

I was at first hesitant to pick it up or handle it with some many appendages, not knowing if it would sting,

but, I'm still alive! lol  It was so calm, most small fish just try to flop around but he was so gentle.

My only disappointment was that I had no one else to share it with, I was the only one there, but

now I get to share it with you.

{Foto Friday - shadows}

Meet the sanderlings . . . one very fast flying bird and hard to capture!

{shoot, edit, submit}

This week Bonnie gave us the challenge of making photo art from our favorite book or our choice.

I'm not much of a novel reader, but in keeping with words I decided to add a quote to mine instead. I didn't

do much to this other than a pencil sketch, I just liked the simplicity of this.

{Photo Art Friday}

You have no idea how hard it was not to share all my pictures from this last week.... I think I have enough to last me a lifetime. There is just something about the beach (and flowers) that I simply can't get enough of.

"The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient.

One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach - waiting for a gift from the sea."

-Ann Morrow Lindbergh

I met some really fabulous people yesterday on the beach. I loved sharing with them my love of nature

and I love that they were curious. I even daydreamed about having an explore the beach class with children.

You know, I titled this post trash or treasure because it's all in how we look at it.

As the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure, but only because

we lack the knowledge to understand why.

Happy weekend!

Love Kim,

XO