Taking his chances

          I became hooked on Lobster while living in the Philippines. When my parents went diving, it was a treat to see them come up with one of these guys in their clutches. I regarded it like steak back then. I still love the flavor of a properly cooked lobster, dipped in lemon butter and served with a baked potato and salad! The ones they would catch were big enough that I could make a meal out of the claws. One of my fondest memories of my mother was when she would et Lobster or crab, using her fingernails to pull the meat from the shell!
         Called ,"Taking his chances" this lobster has come out from under the ledge and is taking his life in his claws. They hide under the shelf, waiting for an unsuspecting creature to come by unawares, and becoming his dinner! But while out from under the shelf, he becomes exposed, and may himself become the catch of the day!
         The Florida Keys are where to go for lobster near here. While we were down there, we saw numerous traps ready for the season that was to come. We saw a couple of them while we were skin diving at John Pennencamp. It is the largest reef in the United States, located in one of the first islands in the chain called the keys.
"Taking his Chances" Loster 20 x 20 acrylic on canvas

Spiny Lobster

We got to see one of these beautiful creatures while in the Florida Keys. We were snorkling at John Pennecamp State park. This state park is home to the largest coral reef in the continuous United States. It was hiding beneath a shelf of coral and pulled itself into the cave as we came near. That trip to the reef was Chris's first time on a coral reef, but not the first time snorkling.

We saw several things that day, not the least of which was a Carribean Gray Reef Shark. It came to us out of the gloom of the dusky evening, eyeing us warily and deciding we were too big to eat. I wanted to follow him as he silently swam along the edge of the coral, but my husband of several decades did not wish to pursue this denizen of the deep. He likes to tell people that I tried to feed him to a shark. (never mind that it was only about 3 feet long!)This painting catches me up again! Number 48 in the 100 days~100 paintings

Spiny Lobster 20 x 20 Acrylic on Canvas