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

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