The Pools

* A couple of days ago I found that if you go far enough down the beach you reach a series of rock formations. During high tide they are mostly covered and, when the get tide goes out, a myriad of sea creatures become trapped in pools which form in the bowls and cracks of the stones. I had only briefly viewed them before, and now I was resolved to explore them in depth. Setting off among the boulders and stony walls, I looked for hidden pools with the mentality that something wonderful might be found anywhere. It was just such a mindset that took me to the top of a rock plateau where I thought a pool would be unlikely to form. In the middle of it, surrounded by solid rock, was a column of water that looked for all the world like someone had bored a ways into the stone then filled it with water. As soon as I looked into there was a great commotion of activity as dozens of creatures scattered for the protection of the plant covered walls. No matter how hard I looked I could not see where any of they had gone though I was certain that I had glanced over some, their camouflage hiding them from my view. However, much to the gratification of my inquisitive nature, some residents of the pools were not so stealthy. For fifteen minutes I sat and watched, first intrigued then amused, as a group of fish played Australian rules football with an unfortunate crustacean. For anyone who does not properly know what Australian rules football is, good news, I'm right there with you. All I say to enlighten you is that it is a very popular sport here where two teams of extremely fit and energetic men try to move a soccer ball-like object across a field by seemingly any means possible and with total disregard for the safety or well being of their collegues. Imagine a cross between football, rugby, and soccer. The aquatic version went something like this: "Big spikey-gill fish takes the shrimp down the line! Interception by zebra stripe! THE SHRIMP HAS CHANGED HANDS! Its heading towards the opposite side of the field... Look at the body shot! The shrimp's been grabbed by a third party! Is that legal? DOESN'T MATTER, WHAT A GAME! Eventually I moved to a different section of the rocks and continued on my way. For the next forty minutes or so I dodged waves, clambered over rocks, and saw crabs, fish, snails, and anemone/cucumber things I could not identify. At length I was turned back towards home by the rising tide, but that's alright. It just means that I have something to explore tomorrow.