Rising in Beauty

Rising in Beauty
Sky over North Park

Just Learning

Just Learning
Kitchen Studio

Friday, October 17, 2008

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to me!

How fortunate I have been in the joys, relationships and careers I have experienced. My down moods seem absurd, except, of course, when I'm in them.

I expect improved health and new interests.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Tide Pool

I used to enjoy visiting the tide pool on the ocean side of Point Loma, near the end of the landmark peninsula. I waded in the shallow cove, took lots of photos, looked out to sea. The incoming tide splashed dramatically against the rocks, sending up geysers of whitewater and bubbles. The outgoing tide uncovered mossy rocks, and once in a while a small abalone. Kids found great adventure negotiating the rocks, windmilling their arms for balance. In the shallow puddles on shore, there was the occasional tiny crab scuttling, or a small starfish. Sea slugs are big and purple and kind of disturbing, the way they blob and slide along.

People aren't supposed to take anything away from the tide pool, but they've been doing so for many years. It's sad that there are so few life forms, compared to the tide pools film shown in Cabrillo National Park. There are some anemones, seaweeds, lichens, and lots of limpets. Limpets cling to the rock so hard that it is scarred all over with round pits. It makes an interesting texture.

A ranger explained one day that when abalone thrive, the otter population explodes. The otters eat the abalone. When there are no longer enough abalone to feed all the otters, the otter population shrinks. Then the abalone increase, until the cycle starts again. Harvesting abalone is forbidden now along the US coast. It used to be a good cash crop. I had some years ago and liked it very much. It's still legal in Mexico, but the shells I've seen are a lot smaller than the old shells I've seen used to burn sage in Lakota ceremonies.

The sea is still there. We no longer think of it as inexhaustible. But it sure is big. And the salt wind is refreshing.