Independence

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Holidays are times for hanging out with friends, and drinking a beer or two. Holidays are also a time for a bit of reflection. Looking back, I realize how much our lives have improved (and -- honestly -- how much we're still dealing with).




Last year, I was feeling terribly isolated and lonely. It seemed to me that while lots of people kept up with us on the blog, we didn't actually have a whole lot of friends. The changes in our lives have made it much more difficult to have a "normal" social life. But heck! We've never been what anyone would call normal, right?




And the year before that?
Well, Robb and I were pretty thrilled because for the first time since his accident, he actually sat on the ground. We had so much to overcome at that point, that any little milestone was worth celebrating.




And, now, if you will excuse me, we've got to eat breakfast and pack up out stuff. We're taking a ferry to hang out with Angela and her family and friends on the Olympic Peninsula.



I thought a little "fireworks display" might be fun. Everyone please practice saying "ooooooooooo.....aaaaaah!.......wooooooooow!"

From top to bottom:

A couple of Sunflower Stars. There were dozens and dozens of these gigantic animals, all over the place. I've only ever seen them singly in California. They are the only sea star that I've actually seen moving. By starfish standards, these guys are fast.

Another Sunflower Star. This time, out of water. These are about two feet wide. I learned that sea stars look more "nubbly" when they are stressed, so you can see that the Sunflower Stars in the first picture look almost fuzzy by contrast.

An Ochre Star (the most common sea star in our part of California) in the foreground, and a tiny, tiny Blood Star in the back. The Puget Sound Ochre Stars were easily twice the size of the ones I'm used to seeing. The Blood Star was maybe an inch across.

The tiniest star of the day. At this size, who knows what we're seeing!

Unlike some sea stars, the Sunflower Stars didn't seem particularly well adapted to hanging on to their perches when they were out of water. Maybe I'm projecting my own feelings onto this creature, but this seems painful! Look how distended the sucker feet are. Ouch!

Comments

MommaWriter said…
Oooh. Thanks for the fireworks! I love the sea life in the Pacific Northwest. A long time ago, I took a kayak trip off the coast of Vancouver Island. Awesome stuff. Your pictures really remind me of that! Hope you had a great trip out to the Olympic Peninsula. I really hope to get back there someday too...

Stacey
(WyndRyders #2)
Cinderellen said…
As always, wonderful pictures. You must have a nice camera. I have thought of you often this week, thinking I'd like to get a nice picture of a scissortail flycatcher for you, since they are common here but I'll bet you don't see any out there.

I wonder if Robb's injury has made you (both) focus more clearly upon what you really want to accomplish, rather than scattering your energies because his limited strength means he has to choose carefully. I am in no way poking you with the "turned out to be for the best" stick, because obviously it would be better for that not to have happened. Just wondering.

I'm not really stalking - just love your pictures. I don't get to travel as much as I'd like, and it's a pleasure to get a peek at outdoor life on the coast. Also, two years ago my oldest daughter broke her L1 in a (horse)riding accident. Her outcome was more favorable, but some of the issues are similar.
Lisa said…
You can't imagine how much I would love to see a scissortail flycatcher!!!!
Lisa said…
And, yes, I think you are right about the other stuff, Ellen.
Anonymous said…
Ohhhhh.... Ahhhhh....

And now you have another East Coast Connection.... always welcome here! I just wish I was closer so we could be better friends. But you both always have a Lilly Pad here to land on!!!

Bandaid

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