A Special Valentine for Me!

I couldn't believe my eyes! 

If you were here on Monday, you'll know that I posted my Valentine to the Sea — a heart I did in Photoshop using a photo I took here in Florida last summer along with a poem by Rod McKuen. 

I do love the sea, it has been a constant in my life since I was three-years-old. I feel a connection and am never happier than when I'm strolling the shore here in Florida or sitting on a cliff in California watching the magnificent waves of the Pacific. Much as others will say their mate defines them and makes them whole, this is how I feel about the sea. She has shared my joy and swallowed up my tears when need be.

All mushiness aside, I spent the day on Tuesday at my little secret beach. I was there at the crack of dawn, anxious to see what the low tide would reveal. AND what do I come across? Take a look at this…

The sea sent a heart back to me! 

Like I said, I couldn't believe my eyes. This is going in a frame for sure. If you don't know what this is, there is a clam under the sand and as clams dig, they shoot up water and this action leaves little trails of sand like this, but I've never seen a heart! I know it was for me, I just know it!

My secret beach had other goodies to share and I thought I'd share them with you. I believe the more you learn of the critters that inhabit our ocean, the more you will learn to respect and protect her.

The first thing I came across was this…

This is the egg casing of a Lightning Whelk. Each capsule on this strand contains the eggs with developing embryos of little, tiny baby whelks inside. The mother whelk buries herself in the sand and attaches one end of the casing to a rock or another shell. Each strand will hold between 50 and 200 capsules and each capsule will hold up to 100 eggs. If all goes well, the baby whelks will eventually poke a hole in the capsule and go on to live a fabulous life dining on clams, oysters and scallops.

Over the years I've found plenty of these casings washed ashore, but on this day, I saw something for the very first time — a whelk actually laying her eggs!

From a distance I saw the siphon canal of a Lightning Whelk sticking up out of the water. This usually signals an empty shell and I was very excited, but as I approached this is what I witnessed…

…this was even more exciting than an empty shell to me. I really don't know why she wasn't completely buried, but I'm no expert on this ordeal. I snapped a few pics and moved on. Later, as I made my way back down the beach, I came across her again, this time she was better hidden…

Difficult labor? Who knows, but it was very cool to see this in nature. I made this collage of some photos I found on the web, so that you can see what the whelks look like when they emerge from the capsules…

This is a beautiful specimen I came across with the morning sun glinting off its shell…

I also spotted a live Pear Whelk…

and this is something else I've never seen…

A Lightning Whelk crossing the sandy terrain. This is something you see if you go snorkeling or scuba diving, not just walking the shore. I thought this was unusual, but my secret beach is so cool, I ran across several more making their way around the beach just like me. Were they looking for love? Probably more like breakfast, but it is the week of Valentine's, so you never know.

Then I ran across another hermit crab, if you remember I posted some pics recently of one that sat there and posed so beautifully. Well, this guy was not happy I was there and had a hissy fit. I was trying to get a nice pic of the lovely Shark's Eye Moon Snail shell he has claimed as his own and he kept coming after me. It was like a Chihuahua going after a Great Dane, if you catch my drift.

Crazy Eyes

I named him Crazy Eyes and then moved on to give him his space.

Let's see, this little guy made an appearance…

I believe it is a Mud Shrimp, but doesn't it look like a little Maine Lobster? 

Then this Sunray Venus Clam put on quite a show, wish I had a movie camera to capture his antics. He was flipping and flopping, coming in and out of his shell and squirting water every which way. Between this guy and the hermit crab, it was quite an amusing day.

Then off in the distance I saw a mound of sand that looked out of place and rather odd. Can you guess what it is?

Here's a closer look…

Barnacle Bill - The Old Man and the Sea

Those familiar with this creature and those who were looking closely at the above photos will recognize this beast as a Lightning Whelk. Can you guess why I named him Barnacle Bill? Ha! Looks like his grandson is there next to him, hopefully picking up some wisdom on how to stay alive long enough to reach this size! He was well over 12-inches, probably close to 14-inches in length.

Let's take a closer look at his "tail" which is actually the siphon canal. Appears as though some form of plant life planted itself and has really grown. Can't say that I've ever seen this before either. Gives a whole new meaning to "shake your tail feathers" though.

So as we head off, here's one last look at Barnacle Bill…

This had turned out to be quite a remarkable day, full of firsts. a few chuckles and an adventure I shall never forget.

Before I left, I found a wide expanse of beautifully decorated sand and left my mark. One that will be washed away with the tide and leave no harm to our precious environment…