a wednesday walk on the rocky shore

it was a beautiful June day on the Skagerrak coast and a perfect opportunity for a walk along the shore. this time i went to Ramnskollen near Stavern. i was mostly interested in exploring the several arms jetting out in the sea. i reached the shore at a rocky beach with lots of greenery. the seaweed that washes up here provides plenty of nutrition for these salt tolerant plants to thrive on

the coastline has wonderfully smooth rock sculpted and polished ages ago during the ice ages. many places the rock is cracked and sometimes broken by more recent weathering and erosion.

at first this cool rock reminded me of a turtle's head but then it struck me that it is more more like a moray eel. if you have ever had the thrill of scuba diving and meeting a moray eel among the rocks i am sure you will see the resemblance. only the eye is a little low here

among the many species of wildflowers growing here is this goldmoss stonecrop Sedum acre. as the name suggests it thrives around stones, often in the cracks large enough to hold a little water

there is also a magnificent orange-yellow lichen on many of the rocks. they really brighten up the place

potholes full of water are scattered around the rock. they are often hidden on slopes toward the sea so many times you can't see them until you get up close. they are always a nice surprise to find

the stone is for the most part larvikite. typically there are occasional veins of other crystals. i am guessing this is a vein of pegmatite but i am no geologist. it's one of the most striking veins i have ever found and i have been on many walks along the coast. when i find something so interesting i wish i knew much more about geology but when i try to learn from scientific literature it gets very complicated very fast.

discoveries like this may yet turn me into a rock hound

but for the moment i am just exploring and enjoying the beauty of the three points that make up this arm.

while there are many similarities each has it's own character and unique features, as if created by different artists working the same material

but nature is the artist with an astounding variety of tools and techniques.

and i am privileged to be present in the masterpiece