Starfish Day for Julie
Image by Boogies with Fish
www.messersmith.name/wordpress/2010/01/18/starfish-day-fo...
Julie, a Facebook Friend, tells me that she really digs starfish. Because I can use all the friends I can get and Julie never scolds me for attempting a humorous comment on her status changes, I think that her polite hint deserves an appropriate response.
Since I do, despite my geeky aura, appreciate the sentimentality evoked by images of starfish, I'll set the stage with this mushy shot:
I can hear the murmurings of "Awwwwww . . ." from here. I have no idea who the people were. They simply happened to be standing on the rock while I composed the image. It was a very lucky break.
The truth is, I nearly overstayed my prime time. During an attempt to catch the sailboat out on Astrolabe Bay, I was nearly inundated by a wave crashing on the rocks: Now that I've set the mood in my inimical way, we shall proceed to tickle Julie's fancy with some yummy starfish.
You know, I've seen this shape before. There is a logo somewhere, on a product or representing some organization, that is a cartoonish figure of a starfish (two eyes, a mouth, etc.) with the top of the star a little crooked, like it is wearing a hat which is a bit askew. This Fromia milleporella reminds me of that: Please keep in mind that this is Annual General Meeting week and I'm sitting here trying to stay interested and not fall asleep. My mind wanders in particularly unusual ways. I keep feeling fluid draining from my sinus cavities. It's seawater. My wife, Eunie, tells me when to raise my hand to vote on a motion. As you can imagine. I'm a little distracted than usual.
But wait! Let's get back to Julie's starfish. This is one that you've seen here many times, the lovely Choriaster granulatus: You may be tiring of seeing this critter, but I'm nowhere near finished taking pictures of it.
Here's is another which you have seen here many times: I'm sure that everyone out there has seen images of the Mimic Octopus which is able to contort and recolour its body in marvelous ways to appear to be any of several non-octopus critters. However, have you ever seen a Linckia laevigata mimic a snake? As of now, you have.
It may surprise some that this lump is a starfish: Called a New Guinea Cushion Star (Culcita novaeguineae), it appears more like a bumpy, spiky football. In fact, it is supremely tempting to pick it up and attempt to kick it back and forth between divers using the floppy fins.
Of course, we never actually do that.
1950's, Claremont McKenna College
Image by Claremont Colleges Digital Library
Item Title: 1950's Claremont McKenna College
Description/Notes: A photo of various images of Claremont Men's College. Photos are of football players, students'; mothers, a man holding a guitar next to a pinata, and a car pulling a float. A Claremont Men's College pennant, logo, and playing cards, chips, and dice are also pictured. "CMC - 1950s - College Life & Mother's Club" is written on the bottom of the backside of the photograph.
Original Collection: Claremont Colleges Photo Archive
Item Number: xcm00429.tif
Permissions: For more information on copyright or permissions for this image, please contact Honnold Mudd Library Special Collections.
Click here for the original item.
See the Claremont Colleges Photo Archive for the original collection.
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