Me-Kwa-Mooks Park Revelations

My plans to go explore the tide pools on the Kitsap Peninsula as part of my birthday weekend fell through, way through, to the other side of the planet. I would not be denied, however, and found refuge in the very low tides at Me-Kwa-Mooks Park along Beach Dr. So I got my fix of mucking about in the sand and squish looking for critters and other such specimens. S didn't feel the need to slime up her Keens so she soaked up the sun on a bench up high while I gingerly stepped from soggy mass to encrusted rock, bending here, squatting there, peering under rocks (which I immediately and delicately replaced after observing the tiny eco systems living beneath), and swishing aside various forms of water flora to get a better look what might lie beneath. That was swell of her to wait for me. She was with me in more than spirit but not in slime and that was OK. It was nice that she hung out close by so I could share my discoveries.

I discovered plenty. Here are a few shots of the critters I spotted. I love that I can spend time exploring tidal life only yards from someone's house. Well, I can't say that I love it. Maybe I feel really lucky that this sort of nature is available to me but I do prefer to explore it in a more remote setting. You can read a bit more about the park in the West Seattle Herald.
Usually you see plenty of dead crab parts and sometimes, but dead and empty, crabs. This one, however, was very much alive and full and wasn't budging. Just waiting for that tide to come back in and carry him to safety, far from the seagulls. And below you can see some of the growth process of the barnacles found everywhere.

This is the view from where S sat and waited. Two other curious tidal explorers can be seen.

I followed this hermit crab for a while. As soon as I picked it up it retreated into the shell.
The main bodies of each of these two crabs were about the size of a quarter. Neither was in a mood to be picked up so all I did was snap pics. I like their colors.