We all know someone or have heard of countless humans facing ruin or heartbreak from Covid-19. Before I share what I’ve been up I want to acknowledge Covid-related suffering everywhere and express my gratitude that I have a job that keeps me safe, and that no one close to me has contracted the disease.
My visits to the shore have been scant since March when I started to grasp where Covid was going. I’ve been out a little though. Here are two shots from the beach featuring surf zone inhabitants I admire. Surfperches were my gateway to theoutershores.
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Juvenile redtail surfperch, Amphistichus rhodoterus ![]()
Female silver surfperch, Hyperprosopon ellipticum | Beautiful orange slash on the anal fin
The rocky intertidal deserves its mention too. I bring you lovely acorn barnacles, Balanus glandula, and a small but hopeful Pisaster.
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Once tiny nauplii awash in the plankton | Multiple size classes indicate successive waves of settlement ![]()
“I want to eat you”
Staying safe gave me a chance to update my About theoutershores page, something I’ve had on my mind for months. One of the more trivial but creative things I’ve accomplished is updating theoutershores’ logo. It doesn’t have a big presence on my site; you see it only on my homepage sidebar (and you have to scroll down a way to find it!). I got rid of the original version’s blue outline. It makes the logo look too much like a badge for my taste. And I replaced the original blue dorsal fins (I hope it’s clear these are three fish in the surf!) with more realistic reddish fins.
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Before (2012-219) ![]()
After (starting in 2020)
Inspiration for the logo comes from the redtail surfperch. Redtails make their living in the surf zone. You can see the reddish-orange fins on this specimen, it’s a color I tried to match on the new version of the logo.
I liked the updated logo enough to risk a small heat transfer on the upper left corner of my masks. I ordered hats too.
