Meet Michael Crabson

Oceanside: Day 2
"Meet Michael Crabson"

Hello there friends! Today was our second day on the beach. Like yesterday, the morning started out really foggy so we went for a walk along the shore. The girls found all sort of shells and this little guy who was all covered in sand. They immediately commenced hollering for me, excited to share their most amazing discovery. It was decided that we would take him back to our spot down the beach to share with our friends, but we had no containers. I, feeling a little scared, picked him up in a kelp leaf, and we began our trip back to "our spot."












When we arrived, we washed him off and placed him in his newly built beach condo complete with a kelp bed ... built by C who was rather concerned that he would manage to get away if we did not create some sort of enclosure for him. Before moving in, he was treated to a luxurious bath ... which he was surprisingly not super excited about. (Don't ask how we knew that he didn't like it, it would be difficult to explain ... we just knew.) Free of all sand our crab was placed in his home, where he posed for this picture and then began to walk sideways up the wall of his home. C decided that it looked like he was moon-walking and proudly gave him the name "Michael Crabson." It was difficult to get great pictures of him in his house, so I tried to talk the girls into holding him ... which was not well received by them ... which meant it was all up to me. I tested his "pinchiness" with a piece of seaweed, and then (while holding my breath) picked him up. He quickly scampered up my arm, which sent the girls into a tizzy.




















I scooted him back down into my hand and spent some time letting him acclimate to the whole sensation of being held ... he watched me intently while I watched him ... just as intently. Then he began to simply rest on my hand, and which point I slowly took out my camera, put it on macro, and began shooting pictures. Being "Michael Crabson" this little guy was all about the pictures and sat through many a frame. Often moving to grant me another "gotta have it moment." In truth it became rather like a Hollywood shoot.












Like all famous crustations, Michael was quite awed by bling ... and he even tried to grab onto it with his greedly little pinchers. After watching me interact with this amazingly harmless little creature, the girls decided that they would hold him as well ... with the one condition that I remove him from them at their first request ... quickly and carefully. Both girls did hold him ... and managed to not fling him into the air at the first feel of his hairy little velcro-like feet. Shortly after, we took him back to the rocks where we found him and released him back to the wild ... where I am sure he instantly began the process of recuperating from the stress of being famous.

Michael's Official Headshot

and an "unoffical" movie
of his moonwalking