This past Saturday was a perfect example of why I adore living near the ocean. Lovers of the bountiful marinelife that frequents our familar piece of the Atlantic will be eating copious amounts of jealousy pie after this post.
Yes...
I said jealousy pie, tastes bitter and leaves your mouth puckered. I usually eat this pie after seeing the pristine interior of a vehicle absent of young passengers.
I digress, lets get back to the salty air.
The crystal clear waters were calm and inviting, a veritable cliche of pleasantness slipped out of our mouths as we each noticed and commented on the sandy landscape before us. Having extra hands on deck made quick work of our expedition from the car to the shoreline. It's always surprising how the smallest guests seem to require the most accutrements.
We spent the day relaxing in the warm Atlantic waters, playing in the sand, and exploring the reef for elusive sealife. Among our sightings were five baby cuttlefish hovering over the reef like a row of alien helicopters. Here's a photo I found on google images of a cuttlefish:
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Spiny sea urchins were scattered around the folds of fire corals and sea fans. Rainbow painted Parrot fish nibbled on the coral boulders and the sounds of their chomping "beaks" under the water produced a muffled orchestra of crunching and popping. The highlight of the day was swimming along with an adolescent loggerhead. Photo from google images:
The little guy was only 13 inches long from head to the end of his shell. When he first noticed our curiosity, he gave an over the shoulder glance and then continued gliding along the shallow waters. We were mesmerized by his big brown eyes and petite flippers. The result of our obsessive snorkel stalking: a vexing sunburn on the backs of our legs. So worth the pain!
Though she is too young to use a snorkel as it is intended, this didn't stop the true leader of our group from gnawing on the mouth piece to ease her painful afflicion known as "teething". Another highlight from this remarkable day, being assulted in the water by a 1 year old with a snorkel.
Just had another slice of that pie didn't you?
