andipantz

My trip to Maine is turning out to be exactly what I needed.  Honestly, I am not looking forward to going back to Philly.  I am enjoying this nice quiet life for a change.  Maybe it just means that I’m getting old.  Oh well.

A couple of months ago, I had reconnected with a friend who I had met 20 years ago.  We were pen pals for quite a while (he lived in Montana and I in Pennsylvania) until we graduated high school.  So we hadn’t spoken to each other for at least 16 years and hadn’t seen each other in 20.  Well, as it so happens, he now lives in Boston and had a few days leave from work that happen to coincide with my time in Maine so he drove up here to hang out with me.  We had a blast!  Hiking, kayaking, laughing, conversation, drinks, good food, etc etc.  It was easily one of the best times I’ve had all year.  But he left this morning and I’m a bit bummed out about it.  But nevertheless, I am very happy to have reconnected with my old friend.

One of the hikes that we did lead to some cool tidal pools.  We found these little larvae like creatures in one of the pools that were no bigger than a few millimeters.  They were in small clumps and a weird blue-gray color.  You couldn’t really see the detail of them with the naked eye, but a macro lens makes all the difference in the world.  This is exactly why I love macro photography so much!  This photo was only cropped; no manipulation has been done.  I didn’t know what these little guys were, but someone has ID’d them as an insect called seashore springtails (Anurida maritima)…adults, not juvenile.  The are found throughout the world on rocky shores and tidal marshes and feed on dead marine animals, particularly mollusks and crustaceans.  The retreat into the protection of rocky crevices or under weeds an hour before high tide, but spend most of their time floating on the water and scavenging nearby rocks for food.