\ A ray from the sun, lines in the sky, the tilt of the sails, the edge of the horizon, and the cut of the concrete created a geometric masterpiece yesterday afternoon. /

My favorite beach spot shows me something different every, single day!

My afternoon plan: Absolutely nothing but beach!

In mid-January an off-shore storm stirred up the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. Which meant that piles of items from the seafloor ended up on the beach.

I couldn’t resist assembling this colorful palette of soft corals and sponges (Sea Whip Soft Coral, Red and Orange Devil’s Finger Sponges, Ball Sponges).

For sessile creatures that can’t hide nor hunt, they really were a surprisingly colorful bunch.

For better or worse, I always have to see what’s around the bend. Just a little bit further.

My insatiable curiosity isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it works for me. It has led me some interesting places, not all of them good, but it certainly hasn’t been a boring life.

I’m looking forward to what lies ahead…

I caught this little scene at Mirror Lake the other day during my lunch break. The pond is a short stroll from work and the weather was just so lovely.

Reminded me of that little ditty from Sesame Street,

“One of these things is not like the others,

One of these things just doesn’t belong”

Do you wanna tell the duck or should I?

I came across this interpretive sign as I was exploring a new-to-me park. The title of the sign*, taken from an actual ad from the mid 1800s, is quite appropriate considering that today is National Margarita Day.

*Any Parrothead worth their salt will get this. And if you don’t “get it” I suggest you become a Parrothead, stat!

Allow me to introduce my new little friend, Gator Greg.

I “discovered” him in a neighbor’s trash* last week. How could anyone throw him away? He’s adorable!

Oh sure, he’s a little rough around the edges, but aren’t we all somedays? I think he’d make a great Muppet, he has a slightly bemused look befitting a member of that troupe. Then again, I often have that look when out and about in the world…

I love “folk art” and became even more impressed with Gator Greg when I found out he was carved from a coconut husk.

* I’m not a true dumpster diver but when something cool is peeking out the top, I just can’t resist.

Usually, water with high levels of tree detritus turns brown from all the tannins in the plant matter. So these bright green leaves and cloudy white puffs in the water on Weedon Island certainly caught my attention last week.

The striking chartreuse color on the left could very well be due to the presence of the aptly named Yellow-green Algae (Xanthophyceae sp.).

As for the other photo, in the field I thought it resembled the cloudy atmosphere of Venus. After importing the day’s images I discovered that it was an egg mass. Look in the lower righthand corner, you’ll find some developing creature staring back at you.

Nature never ceases to intrigue me!