One of the big attractions of being out at camp is the relatively clear shallow water. On this last trip, I took along a cheap little disposeable underwater film camera and out of 27 shots, these 4 might be worth sharing. The camera does okay in really bright light and really clear water, but this is planet Earth after all, so those two things don't always happen on the same day.
The needle fish were constantly patrolling the camp perimeter and snapping at anything small that might be prey. If they ventured out from the camp pilings, life got more dangerous for them and more than once I saw one frantically zipping out of the water like a skipped stone. The camera could not handle the shade under the camp, but THAT is where most of the fish were located during the day ... lots of spottail pinfish, mangrove snappers, toadfish, spadefish, and grunts.
Southern stingrays were a constant and harmless presence if you just give them some space. They were easy to spot even though they are capable of fluffing into the mud and almost disappearing. It's not easy being a ray, your cousin the hammerhead thinks you're pretty tasty and his ampullae of Lorenzinni can find you even if you're fluffed and it's night.
Even more harmless, the horseshoe crabs were pretty common around the camp too. This male has latched on to a female so he'll be there when she spawns. The only problem with his impatience is she needs a sandy beach for that and the nearest one was Anclote Key about two miles from the camp.
At the pace they crawl, he'd better be a good conversationalist if he expects to keep her enchanted as she drags his dead weight around.
I'm glad you took the camera even if you didn't get as many good pictures as you might have liked. The ones you did get are well worth it....what a sense of what it is really like there by the sea!
ReplyDeleteSo many life lessons in these photos!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the female horseshoe crab - As a woman - she's used to carrying more than her weight.
ReplyDelete(Sorry - couldn't resist)
Pretty cool for a disposable, anyhow! I'm trying to convince Duller I really, really need TWO new cameras. That underwater Olympus is calling my name.....
ReplyDeleteThreeCollie,
ReplyDeleteThanks. It's hard to fuss about these, considering that for $7.00, you get an UW camera with film!
Pablo,
I get some of them, but I bet you see some I missed!
Cathy,
I had a line on that pic too, but I held off as I figured you gals would do better :)
Sophie,
Sounds reasonable to me :)
Only two?
I'm using my last 2% of battery power to say- I love these camping images. The rays- my favorites. The horseshoe crabs-primitive creatures. The needlefish- love 'em. Tomorrow we're on the island of San Juan in Puget Sound- I'll be sure and let you (and the whole WWW) know if I catch anything impressive. Cheers to camp!
ReplyDeleteI find those disposable underwater cameras to be so damned frustrating that I don't use them. We thought about getting one for the Springs vacation, but reversed ourselves at the last minute.
ReplyDeleteGreat that you got some even-better-than-simply-workable images. Congrats!
Hang in there with the almost-empty nest. You know that it's all blips on a continuum, right? Too bad the knowledge of that doesn't make the transition suck any less, though.
On the other hand, see what would happen if you tried to make them stay!
The visits will be sweeeeeet.
Vicki,
ReplyDeleteI hope you're successful with the fish. Remember to filet and release!
And I'm honored that I got in on the last 2%!
Thingfish,
Yup, those cameras are frustrating. You definitely have to hold your mouth right.
I hear you on the girls and it does make sense. Curious as to what you will be posting in 5 years.
Wow, really awesome photos!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad owned one of those "camps" in the Gulf where the Pithlachascottee enters. It was pretty primitive back then, but fun to fish from. But at that time the "outhouse" was out over the water. I wonder if things have improved since then.
ReplyDelete