We spent a lovely Sunday morning last weekend at the soon-to-be-opened Marine Mammal Center out on the Marin Headlands. Our good friend (who works as a volunteer there) invited us as her guests and it was so wonderful to see the new facility and learn more about their rescue & rehabilitation operation. Grady was promptly tattooed upon entry and collected his requisite brochures, postcards and sea turtle socks from the gift shop. He hung on every word and thoroughly enjoyed the tour. The center has over 800 volunteers and couldn't operate without them. Grady spent a lot of time at the Marine Mammal Center booth at our Fisherman's Festival in April and hopes to volunteer for the Center one day. He can also do a mean seal impression. Just ask him.
I volunteered to go on a field trip to Dillon Beach for low tide with G's kindergarten class last week. We went when it was a negative 1.4 foot tide and saw a lot of amazing creatures in the surrounding tide pools. A crab danced across the sand and hid under a rock after his show.
Plump, beautiful, purple sea stars (not starfish, people).
Hundreds of lady bugs on washed up seaweed covered the beach.
I just love the blue of the closed sea anemones. 
Here is the same anemone fully opened under water. There is a glare on the picture, but it was gorgeous to see in person. The kids squealed with delight.
The few hours spent on the beach were magical with the kids. They were so excited, surprised and inquisitive. This helped to complete their ocean series segment for the month of May. His teacher did a great job exposing them to all things sea-related and they also made mini-aquariums. The field trip was icing on the cake.
I always enjoy a trip to the beach at low tide. It transports you and there is something about being at the edge of the Continent that makes you stop, slow down and examine life's littlest treasures and figure out your place in the world. When life gets hectic - a trip to the beach always puts things in perspective for me.
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