Moya Cannon: "Eavesdropping"

I was reading around, the way I do, and then I hit upon this poem by Moya Cannon.  I have been there, have listened to the barnacles myself, and she captures the scene.  Beauty.  

The Barnacle-Bus

No Weight Belt: Subtidal Mendocino

Last Saturday, I went kayaking and snorkeling out from Van Damme State Beach in Mendocino County and headed north through the sea-caves, rock gardens, and water-alleys there.  The tide was low, though rising, and low enough that when I entered the water to take a few photos of the flora and fauna I realized I ought to leave my weight belt in the kayak.  The light swell and surge were carrying me quite close to the spines of the sea urchins along the rocks that lined the water-alley and even close to the spines along the bottom in the shallow sections.  As I did not have a place to park the kayak--no handy kelp to anchor to with any surety--I clipped the anchor line to my left bootie, and we floated, kayak and myself, at the surface with the surge and looked about.

Green Water; Rising Tide

I'm Reminded of Scottish Cattle

A herd of sea palms.

Mollusk

Abalone, Again

Life Upon Life Upon Limpet

Agate Beach,
West Marin.

Sand-Encrusted Creatures As The Tide Falls Away

Barnacle and sea anemones anchored to the wall of the surge channel.  

The tide was dropping.

Two small sea anemones tightly closed and covered with sand.

The eye of the abyss . . . .

An unlikely, but definite, beauty.

Some sea anemones are still partially opened as the tide is dropping.

Surge channel.

Surging water fills the channel and covers the creatures . . . until the water recedes, drawing back for the next wave.  High tide won't occur again for hours.

Flow in action.

Low Tide Wall-Shots, The Alley, and a Watchful Seal

I first saw this seal as he floated two feet beneath my kayak, watching me as I paddled slowly about his rock garden, though I didn't get that photo.  He moved off and away, watching me from the surface as I put more distance between us.  I don't want to get too close and infringe on such creatures.  (Close shots can be taken from far-enough-away; that's why I have the zoom on the camera.)

A Bevy of Barnacles

Monastery Beach, Carmel, CA: June 20, 2011.

It's good to look through last year's photographs every so often.

Red Barnacle