A Day at the Beach

Last summer we went to Cape Cod for Andy and Jenn's wedding.  We had hoped to get some good beach time because, having moved inland, we REALLY miss the beach.  There's something so calming about the sound and smell of the ocean.  The pure power and size of the ocean remind me of how small we really are.  Unfortunately it was also the weekend that a tropical storm came to the Cape.  So much for beach time - and an outdoor wedding.   It was a beautiful wedding, a lovely weekend with family and friends, and we couldn't have asked for anything more.

We were in staying at a Bed-and-Breakfast in Orleans, and went over to Skaket Beach one day (it may have been the day of the shark siting at Orleans Beach...... ) and saw this Fiddler Crab

They just look so unbalanced.  With the one big claw - like a sci-fi move gone bad.

Apparently this is a male, as the females claws are both the same size.   The males use their large claw in some sort of mating ritual.  The female chooses a mate based on his ability to wave his large claw - she can tell the size of his 'burrow' and then chooses the appropriate burrow size for her clutch of eggs.

All I know is that he was scurrying across the sand - and he may have been intimidated by us, but he kept going.  Perhaps realizing that we were intruders in his native habitat and would soon be gone.

Linking up with Chrisy at 'Living a Good North Coast Life' for her Reconnecting with Nature link-up.Living a Good North Coast Life