Who's Crabby?

Yesterday we went to the beach, this time the New Jersey Shore. In local parlance, this is not actually going to the beach, but rather, heading down the shore.

There were more good signs, but fewer hand-painted ones than at Coney Island. Still, I liked this happy clam and crab duo.

And there are always plenty of crabs to be found down the shore, both the kind you eat and the kind you take home as pets--hermit crabs.

I'm always drawn to them, and feel kind of sorry for them in their cages. I've never taken one home, but the idea of the hermit crab--who outgrows its shell, sheds it, and goes off to find a new one to move into--fascinates me.

I don't remember them always having such brightly painted shells. I wonder whose job it is to paint all those little shells?

This year the bat symbol was very popular.

They really are rather lovely creatures. Look at the beautiful claw on the one on the right.

According to Wikipedia, "Hermit crabs live in the wild in colonies of 100 or more, and do not thrive in smaller numbers," so perhaps they don't mind being in a cage like this as much as they'll mind being separated from each other to go to strange homes one at a time. I guess they're not 'hermits' at all then, are they?

I liked these Crabs, too.



Mr. O'Kitten was happy because the surf was up.

The water was beautiful--clear and not too cold--so Mr. O'Kitten and Uncle O'Kitten went swimming...

...or perhaps more wave-fighting than swimming, but they still looked very happy when they came out of the water.