Sunrise - Sand dollar - Sunset

Friday November 30, 2012
Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina

 

What a morning!!

It’s pretty dark when I go out in the morning to see the sunrise. 
The best colors are 30 or 45 minutes before it rises.

These are the early colors in front of me today in the East.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At one point I turn around and there above me in the west is a nearly full waning moon. I don’t usually have much luck photographing the full moon at night but in this early morning light it is much easier.

 

 

 

 

Beauty in front of me,

 

 

 

 

Beauty Behind Me.
What a great morning!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practicing Patience.

 

Now I am not known for my patience with anything other than David and Carrie.  So later this morning I get to practice on something else.

After my early morning on the beach, I get dressed in my running clothes and go out for a run on the beach.

Some days I take a book on tape with me. 
Music sticks in my head and I end up singing the last few songs I listen to over and over all day so I’ve taken to listening to books rather than music as I run.

 
Since I have an ancient walkman and second hand shops give away books on tape these days, it is easy and inexpensive for me to pick them up.

Today I run a mile or two and then push the play button for my latest book to play. 

Nothing, nada, not a sound. 

I take the tape out and look at it. 
Hopelessly jammed.
Great….

This the first tape in a series of 12 tapes for this book.
I am not about to skip the beginning of the book. 
So after my run I set about exercising my patience and take the tape apart, unwind the mess and then wind it all back up cutting out the totally ruined parts and using scotch tape to put the remaining pieces  back together.

 

Tedious work which takes a long time and a lot of grumbling
but success!
I am able to hear the entire tape now.

The face on my sweatshirt pretty much sums up how I felt about it.

 

 

 

Rescuing a Sand Dollar.

 

On an afternoon beach walk I find an unusual sand dollar high up on the beach at nearly low tide.  I can see he is still alive but I don’t think he stands much of a chance to not be “collected” if I leave him where he is.
Every single morning I see people with buckets and bags filling them with shells.   What do they do with so many shells??

 

I am amazed at how many shell collectors take the shells without making sure the occupant is not still in there.  They then put the shells in bleach so they won’t “smell”.   If a shell smells of anything other than the brine of the sea, put it back, Please!

 

In specific, if you ever find a sand dollar that looks like this and has little hair like follicles on its edges and bottom side, it is still alive.  If you click this picture and  enlarge it, you may be able to see the little follicles on the edges.  I wish I’d taken a picture of his underneath side so you could see them there.

 

 

Here is a sand dollar I  found last week.
These are the ones you can take.
They are no longer alive.
Very different color.

 

 

I take the sand dollar out into the water since it is low tide and put him near some rocks which are well under water in all but low tide in hopes that he can take care of himself and keep himself out of harms way.

 

 

I hope I’ve given him a life extension by moving him and perhaps an extension for some of his relatives by putting these pictures on my blog.

 

 

 

It’s another beautiful evening at the marsh.

 

The sunset colors occur in the opposite order from the sunrise.
They will color the sky after sunset.
We go over to the Marsh boardwalk to end the day as I began it, with the sun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This full timing life is the best thing ever!!

(even if you do have to practice patience at times)