state parks

whomever it was that decided to devote land as state parks, bravo!  today, jen and i thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at kopachuck state park in gig harbor.  never before have i seen so many sand dollars on one beach!  there were also a bunch of starfish, or sea stars as my five year old has learned to call them from our trusty babysitter, nick jr. (hey, at least it's educational!).  purple, red and orange, five legs (or are they arms?), 15 legs, sitting on the beach in a tide pool, attached to a giant rock as it's lapped by gentle waves.  it was truly incredible.  this was the stuff you only see after you've paid fifteen bucks per person at the aquarium, except we got the live show, AND it was FREEEEE!!  socks got wet, and shoes got dirty, but it was oh so worth it!  who could have asked for more?  it truly is a blessing that we live in a place with such life enriching places.  state parks are fantastic places for some great photo ops, and no matter if you live near a beach, or in the middle of our country, please, take the time to get out and explore.  state parks were designed with you in mind, and everyone, everywhere should take advantage of that!  get that camera out, dust it off (we know...), and get to snappin.  then come share with us what you find!

-posted by jess

  this is the purple starfish we came across first.

and i HAD to add this picture so you could see i haven't edited it at all...it really is THAT purple!!