Those rocks aren't rocks...

The enticement it took to get Joe to go on a two week road trip with his mom to Neverheardofit Canada was the promise of seals.
Joe's been spoiling to see a seal ever since his brother saw one on their trip out west in June and Joe did not. 
Nothing I said about the Gaspe was exactly grabbing Joe, until I mentioned in passing, after the whales and caribou and history and mountains and furthest mainland east part...
seals.
As he said at least fifty times leading up to our departure and on the road,
"You got me when you said there were seals...I'm really only going to see a seal."

Yipes.  No pressure. 
So after two days full of driving through loads of charming french villages,
we stopped last night at le Bic,
  (here's the link)
a provential park known for seals. 
And not a damn one. 
And without a seal, Joe wasn't moving.

So back this early morning in the misty rain, we walked out around this sheltered cove.
No seals.  Just rocks.  Big rocks. 
Big grey and white spotted rocks perched on top of other big rocks. 
Everywhere. 
That, curve up?  down??  roll around???

Those who don't know Joe might not know he has vision problems.  (thus we all Drive Mr. Joey eveywhere he goes)  And the worst of it is his inbility to discern subtle differences in value and color.  And movement.  Of rocks.

In a near panic in the rain I kept frantically pointing and repeating, "Those rocks aren't ROCKS Joe, those are SEALS!" To which Joe would answer more times than I care to remember,
"Where."

Answer?  Everyfrickingwhere.

photo by Joe Tchorzynski

Fortunately, Joe had his 12Xoptical 2.5" LCD Sony Joecam 2005 with him.  And once he saw them, Joe fell hard for seals.
He named his first seal below Big Earl.  Taking it upon himself then to learn all things seal, Joe confirmed later from the color of his coat what is obvious in his attitude, Big Earl is a guy seal.
We were both particularly impressed with how Big Earl could use his neck fat like a pillow.  New heights in sloth -- I love it! 

photo by Joe Tchorzynski

No argument Big Earl and his youngins and wosealfolk sure look and act like rocks.
That's why zoos are no substitute for a natural environment.  Because in zoos they want you to see the seals.  In real life?  Seals don't want to be seen.  And you have just got to hand it to Nature how much a seal (without a ball on its nose) looks and acts like the rocks it hangs out on.

Seal giddy we headed up the Gaspe' to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts and one of my prime must see vacation destionations EXPLORAMA!  where they let you hold cool stuff in your hand like living crabs and urchins.  That's my hand holding a cool living starfish above!

 

Then we headed up into the Chic-Choc mountains for the evening so Jackie (the beaver) could visit some relatives at the family lodge. 

As you may be able to tell already, the Gaspe' rocks.  Like a seal.

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