Purple Day

If Tuesday was green day, then Wednesday was definitely purple day.
These are living sand dollars. A whole beach of them, exposed by the -2.7 tide. We collected the skeletal remains of so many. In another time, perhaps we might have traded them as wampum.
We've noticed this amazing seastar on other minus tide walks. It stands out so beautifully amid the black mussels, white barnacles, and gray sands.
Oh, this purple finch is breaking my heart. It showed up Wednesday morning and sat still on the lawn. No healthy bird sits still for this long. But here it sits. I want to rescue it, but I won't. Every now and then it bends its head to grab some food. Sometimes, if we get too close it flees into the bushes. It won't last long.

That was our purple day.

We're driving to the airport Thursday (200 miles roundtrip) to deliver my mother and sister to their respective flights home to southern California. It's been a great visit. We are truly sad to see them leave.