Thursday, August 11, 2011

Awesome Waves and Shifting Sands! 8-9 to 8-11


Today's post is going to be a combination of the last few days.  I am having trouble finding the time to get these posts written on a daily basis.  Also the last few days, not too much exciting to write about.

Each day as I arrive at the beach, there has been a very strong breeze.  I nice change from no breeze at all.


A strong breeze, usually means awesome waves!


My friend Stretch hasn't been greeting me at the beach when I arrive these last couple of days.  I just thought of this but maybe he doesn't like the rough seas.

The water yesterday and today has been brown.  You cannot see in it.  That probably makes it difficult for him to find his food.  He must be hanging out somewhere else.


I have seen him flying by though.




The beach has been really empty the last few mornings.  I've only been greeted by the BP people.



They seem to be working really hard!


You can see in the picture below the water in the wave is brown.  I walk along trying to figure out why the water is so brown today.  At first I think it might be oil, but it is not leaving any kind of film on my feet and it doesn't feel oily or greasy.



Still trying to figure it out, I come across a puddle on the beach.  I stop to look at it.  The brown in the water has all settled to the bottom.  So the water is not actually brown, there is something floating in the water that it making it brown.



I mention to the kids when I come home that the gulf had "awesome waves" but the water was brown.  Mitchell said it was probably algae.  I did a google search and I think it must be a brown algae in the water.  Hope it goes away soon.  It is really ugly!

The other thing I notice about the water is that the waves are all coming in on an angle.  They have been doing this now for two days.  This is the first time I have seen this here at this shore.





Usually the waves come in straight at the beach.


Over the next few days the "cliff" is changing again.  In parts it is going away.


In other parts it is getting smaller.



And in other places it is gone and the beach is flat.




Some places where the "cliff" is getting smaller, the beach is getting steeper.


This is amazing to watch this change over just a few days.

There are still some parts where the "cliff" is still really big.



Yesterday and today there are a lot of seagulls.  They seem to be hanging out further down the beach.


I know I talked about this before but these birds crack me up the way the all face the same direction.


When you come across them all in a group, facing the same direction, it looks like they are having a meeting.


Here's a picture from the back row of the meeting!


As I walk along the beach today, I come across 3 different dead crabs.  They are really big.  They are interesting to look at.




Then I come across a little white crab.  I saw these in the surf the other day but I couldn't get a good picture of them.


As I walk down the beach I see a big blob lying on the beach.  I wonder what it could be.  As I get closer, I am excited to see that it is a stingray.  It looks dead.


I take a few pictures and then I notice that he is breathing.  It was neat so I turn on my video.

After I take pictures and videos of him, I feel bad leaving him there alive.  So I start looking for a stick so I can push him back into the water.  You know I am not picking him up!  I'm happy to say that a big wave came in and took him back out in the water.

Then I came upon this dead fish.  He looked fresh.  But he was dead.  So I didn't have to worry about getting him back in the water.


A few weeks ago, I came across a fish like this and he was still alive.  I could not find a stick to push him back in the water.  I felt bad for him so I tried to pick him up.  He was so slimy I couldn't get a grip on him.  I tried three times and then I quit.  He was also wiggly and this made it really hard to get a grip on him.   It was just gross!  At least I tried and didn't just walk by and leave him there.  Hopefully, a wave came by and washed him out too!

The thing that captivated me the most in the last three days have been the "awesome waves"!


I am just mesmerized by them and could watch them all day!









Well, I have enjoyed these walks on the beach and I look forward to tomorrows walk.

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