Friday Find ~ My Spirit Animal...Well Creature..

Who would have thought I would find my spirit animal on a walk?
Is it really my spirit animal, or just a chance sighting I thoroughly enjoyed?

We have been doing well getting our walks in. Oh yes, I have a walking partner now! I finally got hubby to start exercising. Even if i go a slower pace than when I am alone, it is great to have some company.

Our walks bring us to the North Sound. If you follow me, you should recognize the views.

I try to take a picture every day, thinking it would be interesting to see the slight differences each day.

Honestly I think some days are just so beautiful, other are more subdued. A different view each time really. But perhaps I am the only one that finds it that way, as the moods often highly affect my interpretation of the views. And I may be the only one who never tires of these same place views.

As we are still on lock-down, and the beaches are still closed, I must find interest with what is in walking distance as we are not to drive anywhere to exercise. (Though I know this rule is broken as I see cars parked at the end of my road to take their dogs down 'Mosquito Road', right across the street.)

I have mentioned the chicken gang and shared some views before, as well. This one apparently had quite the breakfast, leaving the bag right there in the water! What slobs. (teehee)

With hubby, and particularly during this lock-down, we finally ventured on the public dock. Usually there is a boat there, with people mulling about, but during this lock-down, all has been pretty quiet. No boating is allowed, and though there are loads of people walking, we often find the dock deserted, so we have been venturing out there to see what there is to see.

Except for chickens, they sometimes even guard the dock, thinking it is theirs. They are something else, no? Following us out there trying to intimidate us. I still just laugh.

Sometimes there is neat ocean life to see. One rough day we saw a brilliantly orange Starfish, but the rough water made getting a picture a bit tough. We have only once seen it once, as well.

Another day, the water was filled with sprats and the skip jacks trying to eat the sprats. Also, hard to get a good picture of that. Dead sea urchins scattered about one area led hubby to believe an octopus lives near by, but we haven't seen him just yet. But jellies...well I have seen a fair share of little jellies.

Of course, I am thrilled to see jellyfish, which are so darn hard to get picture of too! We saw some other ones that were totally transparent, and they even lit up for us. A beautiful fluorescent green line of light around his transparent jell body. Could not get a picture of that, sadly.

But this particular Friday, last week, I was taking more pictures of the sunken boat, I must have 40 pictures by now. I just love the look of it underwater, with things growing on it, and spooky looking. It could inspire some stories I think. Though the one that sunk it probably wasn't very interesting. It is not a big boat, and nothing on it. Though it does look like there is a big round hole in the middle of it. Meh, the stuff growing on it is more interesting.

And then, that Friday, I saw this big polka dotted fish milling about. He was slowly coming out from under the boat, I believe he saw me and slowly swam around. It was a pufferfish! Not puffed up, but still quite large!

I think he lives under the sunken boat. As I said, I have taken pictures of this boat many, many times now. Never saw him before. But this particular Friday was the first time I have seen him. He seemed to notice us, and swam around a bit, allowing me to try to get a good shot of him. It was hard, obviously, for the camera to focus on him. A bit rough that day too. But he hung around for a while! Swam back and forth, back and forth. Sometimes going back under the boat, and slowing venturing out again.

Hubby said that must be my spirit animal. Not sure why, really. Maybe because it hung around, and I must have taken about 20 pictures of it, and was so enthralled with it, swimming about, going under the boat and back out, and turning and swimming. Interesting creature, still not sure why my spirit animal, as it is said they are clumsy swimmers. I don't want a clumsy swimmer as my spirit animal. I am a swimmer, hopefully not clumsy or in anyway like the puffer fellow there.

I said to hubby his must be chicken because he had been carrying a chicken egg for a half mile by now. He got it form a chicken nest (or whatever you call it) that was on the side of the road...but that is a whole other story. This was just one of the things he 'found' on the walk and carried home......

Back to the puffer. I haven't seen the puffer since that one day, he is hiding well. But what a cool creature. Often called blowfish, one that nearly explodes. The ones around here are the Spot-fin porcupine fish.

They 'developed their famous “inflatability” because their slow, somewhat clumsy swimming style makes them vulnerable to predators. In lieu of escape, pufferfish use their highly elastic stomachs and the ability to quickly ingest huge amounts of water (and even air when necessary) to turn themselves into a virtually inedible ball several times their normal size.'

Also 'These fish are typically solitary, outside of breeding, and are nocturnal, hiding during daylight hours.'

I am still not sure why hubby thought this creature was my spirit animal. Though I do seem to have an elastic stomach, and I can certainly ingest huge amounts of food. (Is there a message there I am meant to get??)

I am not solitary...well okay these days we all are a bit. Also I am definitely not nocturnal, though I do regularly wake up in the middle of the night, usually to get off the couch and go to bed. (How did he know I have been milling about in the middle of the night??)

Also, I am a Pisces, so sea creatures in general could be my spirit animals. Maybe he is just ONE of my spirit animals, coming to me this time to say 'Hey, get yourself working out there, your sea swim is only postponed, not cancelled. You need to get in shape, sleep better, and leave the ice cream alone.....'

I sure hope another spirit animal greets me with a different message. A little less critical of the ice cream at least. I can work on the rest, but leave the ice cream alone.