Mad Rock, Ellen!

So we're falling back an hour on the clock! You know, "Fall back, Spring ahead"? Now we get back the hour of sleep that we were supposed to have lost in the Spring. I didn't get it back yet though. This morning John and I got up at 8:15, which was really 7:15 and seeing that it was a lovely late Fall day with a temperature of -2C, we decided to take an excursion around the bay. 

Ellen didn't have anything to model today because yesterday I took her to Manuels River to model the latest finished piece.  More on that later in the week. Ellen wanted to post some of today's pictures this evening because it's relevant to recent events, namely last night's NHL game between the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks. Apparently, according to John, the Red Wings broke a 6 game losing streak by winning last night. In honour of John, because he is so kind toward Ellen, she offered to model John's Detroit Red Wings jersey.

I wanted to drive out to Conception Bay North area because I love it out there in the Fall. It worked out well because one of the Detroit Red Wings players, Danny Cleary, is from that area. So, it's only right that Ellen should model the jersey there. We went to Mad Rock, a well known area for craggy rocks and rough seas and WOW! There were a lot of mad rocks there today. Matter of fact, John had to firmly hold on to Ellen while she was modelling the jersey to keep her from blowing right out into the Atlantic! At times, it looked like the sea was boiling. The seagulls didn't seem to mind it though. You can see them sitting on a rock (5th, 6th and 7th pictures down) with waves crashing all around them and they're just chillin'. The longer we stayed the more turbulent the ocean became. Some of the pictures below are similar to each other but if you look closely you'll see the progression. You'll also notice a lot of yellow on the rocks (couple of close ups). Maybe lichen? (Very interesting. Will have to investigate this further!)
Could be sea sponges. I just looked up the Government of Canada website and found this quote:

Sponges:

Encrusting sponges are filter feeders found on the rocks at the low tide mark or in tide pools. They are among the simplest of all animals and can only withstand short periods of exposure.

These sponges form soft encrusting growth on rocks in the lower intertidal zone. They are yellow/brown in colour and have large holes dotting their surface that are used in exchanging water.

Just as we were leaving I grabbed a shot of a seagull riding the wind. We watched him/her for a long time gliding higher and lower.  It looked like fun!

Away we went to Port de Grave! Tell you all about that later in the week, plus the Manuels River shoot with Ellen modelling the latest creation.