San Felipe – Dec. 27, 2009 - Hermit Crab

First, a picture of a street musician the day after Christmas. He played 1960s oldies – pretty good, too. There were lots of people in town having fun, especially the kids riding their new scooters. I even saw a few brave souls in the cold water.

It was so cold here last night I almost thought I was back in Coffeyville, Kansas. I think you’d call it at least a “two dog night.” Lacking those critters, I made do with three blankets, a couple of pillows stuck between me and the outside wall of this rig, a pair of socks, and a sweatshirt over pajamas. Tonight I’m ready for it, having cleared out the space under the bed in front of one of the furnace vents, just in case. Warm socks, along with sweat pants and a sweat shirt, and an extra blanket, just in case. So far it’s okay. My wish is that the wind will calm down a little and the temperature will get just a bit warmer.

Lots of beach walking today, at both high and low tides. This afternoon I went on my normal low-tide shell walk and found more and more sand dollars – very fragile. However, today something new was added – a hermit crab inside a very large shell.

I saw the shell down the beach surrounded by several seagulls. When I walked closer, the gulls flew off and I thought – aha! A huge shell for my collection. I picked it up and discovered a large hermit crab inside. Hmm. Didn’t want to pry him out even though the shell would have been wonderful for my collection. So, I put the shell down near the waves and watched. The crab slowly inched its way almost out of the shell, first legs and feet, then tentacles. However, for some reason it got spooked and drew everything back into the shell, doing this several times. Darn, I hadn’t brought my camera. So, I placed the shell quite a distance from the incoming tide and made the long walk back to get the camera.

David was walking toward the beach when I returned, so I invited him to take a look. We did a fast walk back down to the shell and continued to watch what the crab would do. It moved a little, but then stayed inside. When I put the shell into the water, I guess it was waiting for the right time. Actually, I’m not sure it could get out as the crab looked quite large, at least its legs and claws. I took several pictures, and we decided to just leave it in the water. Although it would have been a great shell for my collection, I figured the crab needed its home more than I needed the shell. I’m wondering if it will still be there tomorrow and will check at low tide.

We bought a kilo (about 2.2 pounds) of extra large shrimp today from Joe, the fisherman with the net stretched out into the ocean here. They’re probably the biggest shrimp I’ve ever seen – at least three to four inches long shelled. For 200 pesos, about $16, I’ve got enough in the freezer for at least three more meals for two, not including the ones we cooked tonight. Very simple, too – just sautéed in butter, a little garlic, and some lime juice. Delicious with rice, a tomato I bought yesterday, and some wine.

What a hard life.