3rin's View…

Spent an unseasonably sunny and calm afternoon wandering along the beach. I prefer to head out about an hour before low tide for a few hours of bimbling.  As the ocean recedes it deposits or unveils treasures and today’s ebb did not disappoint.

My first treat was a mini-pumpkin. It was in great shape with just a smidgen of paint remaining from the previous owner’s efforts. Next up, in a neat trick of erosion, I found a rockfish. Not an actual Rockfish (which are delicious, by the way) but a chunk of mudstone in the shape of a fish.

Sanderlings bustled along the tideline, frenetically prodding the sand in search of food, leaving behind cool designs in the sand. Activity increased as I neared the tide pools. While all the other Sanderlings were earnestly searching for dinner, one hygiene conscious Sanderling took a advantage of a small pool of water.

Sanderling Bath Time Video

Nearby, Western Gulls were fighting over, and feasting on, fresh caught crab. While the gulls were otherwise occupied Sanderlings would dash in and abscond with crab crumbs – cheeky little buggers.

Crab Feasting Video

Other gulls were more interested in escargot for dinner. How to crack through a hard shell when lacking opposable thumbs? Drop it from on high. It was easy to pick out the tink, tink sound of snail shells hitting the rocks and bouncing, even over the dull roar of the ocean.

This evening’s sunset arrived about a quarter to five. I lingered to snap a few photos before the chill in the air encouraged me homeward.

Last month I accompanied Lisa and fellow yogi Pryanka on a weekend jaunt to Bellingham, Washington. They were attending a yoga workshop and I went along to explore, because that’s just what I do.

I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. My last visit had been a short stop to catch up with friends back in 1999 and I don’t recall it being nearly as vibrant as it is now. Granted, a lot can change in nineteen years! I even like their marketing campaign which uses the first two letters of the city name to encourage visitors to Be…In Nature, Be…Amazed, Be…Our Guest, etc.

This time I spent most of my time in the charming Fairhaven Historic District. The afternoon we arrived, we tucked into a little cafe for an early dinner. Saturday morning, after dropping the ladies off at the yoga studio, I headed over to the Stimpson Family Nature Reserve near Whatcom Lake.

For those of who share my inquisitive nature, Whatcom is a Nooksack word meaning “noisy water”.  It was also the original name of the port town that became Bellingham, as well as the name of the northernmost county in Washington that abuts Canada, a mere 24 miles away.

The sun chased fog through the trees as I wandered the trails of the preserve. Though the ground was dry, it appeared the area had received rain recently. My eye was caught by an unusually colorful clump of mushrooms within feet of the parking lot. So, for the next four miles I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to photograph fungus.

As you can see, I didn’t get the best images* but I’m sharing them anyway to showcase the diversity I encountered. I don’t know enough about mushrooms to identify them or pick my own (besides the preserve doesn’t allow it) but it was definitely the season. In fact, the Northwest Mushroomers Association was hosting a Wild Mushroom Show the next day. I wish I could have attended, then I would’ve been able to learn the names of these. Instead, I made up my own names…