Day 5016: Quick trip to Mount Charleston & The Armored Crab.

"Riverside Inn": collage, ink brush, photo, digital.

                                                                       

  

Want music?

    Click: Soloman Ray, Find Your Rest. 

2GN2S

   

Dad's Tacos in Henderson.

My Dad cooked three things. Mostly he made potato soup for himself. He had a designated pan and it was a quick fix that he never tired of. Second he made really good hamburger tacos, not as often, as they took more time, but it happened when he got really hungry for them. The third was an easy one, popcorn with a different designated pan. That's it, three items. Everything else someone made for him or he ate out.

Monday night WonderWoman and I made his tacos for the Henderson crew, Luckily, WW took photos and had the recipe.

 WonderWoman drove me to Mount Charleston in the afternoon. I did take a few photos to share with you. Mount Charleston is a scenic mountain retreat located just 35 miles northwest of the Las Vegas Strip. Reaching an elevation of 11,918 feet at Charleston Peak, it serves as a year-round escape with temperatures typically 20 degrees cooler than the Las Vegas valley. Today it was 94' in LV and 51' up at Mount Charleston.

I loved the mailboxes lined up in Old Town, Mount Charleston

It was a quick trip but wonderful to see and feel the difference within an hours drive. Thank you WonderWoman!

The red egg crab does not panic when predators appear. It simply disappears into itself.

Found across Indo-Pacific reefs, this strange crab survives using one of the simplest yet most effective defense systems in the marine world. Instead of relying on speed or aggression, the red egg crab folds every vulnerable part of its body beneath its shell until it becomes a smooth armored disc resting motionless against the reef.

No exposed legs. No weak angles. No easy grip for predators.

Its wide oval shell seals tightly over the folded limbs while the claws lock inward like the hinges of a tiny biological vault. What remains is less like an animal and more like a living stone impossible to pry open.

That strategy changes the entire balance of survival. Most prey animals flee. The red egg crab refuses. And the defense does not stop with armor alone.

Many crabs within this group contain dangerous toxins that remain harmful even after cooking, making them risky or deadly for predators to eat. The warning exists both physically and chemically, turning the crab into a creature that is difficult to attack and dangerous to consume at the same time.

Everything about the species feels built around denial. It denies access. It denies weakness. It denies predators the easy victory they expect.

And visually, the transformation is almost surreal. One moment the crab moves normally across the reef floor with bright red coloring and broad claws visible beneath coral shadows.

The next moment it seals itself shut so completely it resembles an ancient marine lock carved from polished stone.

Nature often rewards speed and power.

 

  

 

A 7 minute video, Henrietta Finds a Nest, here.

 

 

Just because ...

Golden Swallow

In the wind-carved highlands of the Caribbean, this bronze-glinting acrobat slices through the air with shimmering precision. It feeds on drifting swarms of insects, catching each one in mid-flight as it loops over cliffs, valleys, and sunlit ridges. What makes it extraordinary is its devotion to the mountains themselves — nesting in hidden caves and carrying nutrients across open skies, it keeps insect populations in balance and helps fragile upland ecosystems thrive. A streak of gold in motion, yet a quiet pillar of the wild.

Tuesday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you see all the good things in your day.