Rejuvenation

It's been too long since my last visit to the beach. My acupuncturist says beach walking is a way to rejuvenate the YIN. OK! There were whales frolicking in the waves. Beautiful weather. Clean air. Lovely day. I should do that more often....

January

The January rain drapes the sky in grey

And hides away the sun.

And the pattering can be maddening

But I'll wait until it's done.

For I can't chase the clouds away

And I can't stop the falling rain.

It's out of my hands, it's out of my hands

There's nothing that I can do.

And sometimes I know that life doesn't go

The way that I want it to...

from "Out of My Hands", Vagabond, Spencer Day

The Sands of Death (or I Got Crabs in a Bad Way)

I went to the beach today and all along the water line were thousands of dead crabs! I've never seen this before. I wonder why? Bacterial infection? Water temperature issues? Too much sunshine this time of year? Pollution? I have no idea. It's disturbing.

But I found two really cool shells to add to my orange shell collection.

 

UPDATE: I just read an article that explains the deaths are due to global warming and the development of oxygen dead-zones at the bottom of the ocean. How sad. You can read about that HERE. There are several articles on this phenomenon happening around the world with tens of thousands of dead bodies on beaches. Scary.

 

UPDATE: A friend just emailed me and told me the crabs are MOLTING. Not dead, just leaving behind their "old clothes" I guess. Females molt in the spring and although it's really still winter with all this sunshine they must be confused. It makes me want to go back and have a second look.

The Beach That Was...

There are too many undesirable dogs in my neighborhood that make walking anything but pleasurable so I've been going to the beach more often than usual. It's very peaceful at the ocean especially when no one is there. The air is so refreshing and clean. Lately I've been arriving right when the tide is at its highest. There have been days the waves are so violent and the water rushing so madly about, I turn right around and head back home. This was one of those days.

See that wave coming toward me in the above photo? It doesn't look that ominous in this photo but it was at least two feet high, moving at least twenty miles and hour, and coming from the side before I realized it. I literally started running for my life.

With all the "Unstable Sand" warning signs, and the water clear up to the roads in some places, I wasn't going to take any chances.

The next day I arrived again at high tide and noticed the cove with all the destroyed houses had waves crashing right up to the trees cutting off all access to the rest of the beach. I wondered what damage all this bad weather had done since last spring when I took the last photos. Did the yellow house bite the dust (sand)? Was it still standing? Today, however, I checked the tide levels before I left and went when the water would be at its lowest.

This might be what's left of the yellow house. I can't really tell. It has some yellow on it?

Or this?

Hmmm...maybe this?

This is interesting. I'm counting 17 of these giant tires and I assume someone must have owned a semi-truck with 18 wheels? These are scattered all over. Along with other car parts and vehicle accessories that must have dropped off when the ground gave away.

It makes me wonder how this affects the environment. It doesn't look like anyone made much of an effort to take away their belongings and garbage. I don't know if any of these people have received money for all this damage or if it's just considered a natural phenomenon (tough luck), but you'd think someone would attempt to protect the environment by having these houses, garages, sheds and their contents removed before they take the plunge. That's a lot of garbage floating around and lying all over.

Granted, if I were one of these home owners and just lost everything, I wouldn't want to also be responsible for the money or effort it would take to remove it. Maybe these people can't afford it? There was one guy with a pick-up scavenging for building materials. As I mentioned before, there is an artist in town who creates art from the house wood from this beach. I wonder what the legalities of this are? If the house falls off the cliff, don't the owners still own it? Can people just take it or do they need permission?

Next to take the dive:

 

 

There are a lot of campers and trailers along this area. I assume these are the owners of the homes prepared with alternative living arrangements for as long as some land is left. Do they just drive away when there is no place to park?

 

 

 

 

 

This guy is determined to protect his house and he's out there rearranging his rock moat with big machinery. How many people can say they have a rock moat protecting their house? Does he have to rearrange after every high tide?  Is it working? I've seen the waves crashing. I wouldn't want to be in that little house during high tide!

 

 

 

It looks like he's the only one left on his original property jutting way out from the eroding beach far out beyond what is left of land with water almost totally surrounding him.

 

See him on the end of the point to the right?

 

Will his house end up being on a tiny island? With such a tiny house, is all this work and expense worth it? Wouldn't it be more cost effective to just move the house? Maybe he can't? Or maybe he's just stubborn and thinks he can win fighting Mother Nature?

 

And if I thought all this wasn't crazy enough, I look to my right and there is a guy surfing in freezing water!

 

 

 I am very grateful to live near the ocean, but not so close that it will take my house away. Yet. Who knows when the next tsunami will be? 

Ocean Gifts for Christmas

I went to the ocean for a holiday stroll and came home with presents:

I usually don't collect scallop shells, there were so many and different shades I couldn't resist. I especially like the striped shells.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Ocean Treasures

 

Lots of nice shells on the beach today.

Beach Front Property. No Thank You!

I'm doing my best to offgas the new heaters in my house so this morning I turned them on and left for a walk on the beach. Beautiful day. Sunny, but cool. The ocean was gorgeous.

This is the same beach I dig for clams so in the last year I've gotten to know it well. However, it changes constantly. The land has been eroding away for years with houses falling into the ocean every now and then. There is an artist in the area who collects old house wood from this area and makes decorative signs with it. I know of one person who's land is now IN the ocean. He probably could petition the city or county so he doesn't have to pay taxes, but he likes owning ocean. Taxes are only $1 per year. Not sure why they bother.

During this walk I noticed a lot of trees on the beach up ahead. I didn't remember trees when I was here last week so I thought I should go explore.

 

 

Yep, more of the land is being eaten by the waves and the trees on the shore are falling into the water. Big healthy deciduous trees and pine trees with huge roots that could not hold onto the ocean-soaked earth any longer. How sad.

 



Last week, this little building was up on land! I remember thinking it had lots of room, but might not still be standing a year from now. It was either a garage or large garden shed, maybe a small cottage. It's now toast. How scary is that?

This foundation hangs over the ledge waiting for the next high tide and large wave.

 

Houses precariously close to the ledge...that little yellow house only has about ten more feet to go before taking the dive. I doubt if the owners can even sell them and their only option is to wait until the water gets too close for comfort and abandon everything. It makes me wonder about the other houses down the beach that seem to be situated back far enough from the water. Are they at risk, too? Eventually will they end up in the ocean?

 

Can you imagine buying beach front property, building a house, and then slowly watch it destroyed by nature? I wonder what options the owners have? Could they bring in lots of boulders and build some kind of protective wall? Or would the waves destroy it anyway? Maybe it's too costly or the property values aren't worth it? There are warning signs all over stating the sand is unstable and to stay out of the water. People ignorantly ignore these signs and attempt to drive their little foreign cars on the beach. They get stuck in the sand all the time. People don't know how to read...I just laugh.

 

Arrived home a few hours later and the heaters are doing much better. The air still makes my sinuses burn a little, but my heater-induced symptoms are going away. I'm still angry about letting those electricians install cheap heaters I did not want. What was I thinking?

Clam Digging

I only look annoyed because
I haven't caught any clams yet.

It wasn't difficult for my friend to talk me into a clamming license this year, even though I only used last year's license twice. Last year was butter clams and I have to say, although it was a new and exciting thing to do, not nearly as fun and exciting as digging for razor clams! Razor clams run! Or rather, attempt to dig themselves to safety so there is much more challenge and skill involved.

I haven't gone razor clam digging since I was very young. My grandmother was incredibly fast, strong and skilled at clam digging much more so than my grandfather so I have fond memories of gender pride. We used to help by identifying the "shows" so they knew where to dig, but we were too small to dig fast enough to catch one.

My friend has a clam "gun." It's not really a gun, but a tube that digs into the sand and can pull up massive amounts of sand out of a hole, hopefully along with the clam. So fun. There is a technique to it that I mastered in no time, but hauling wet sand out of a hole is exhausting. We've gone twice and both times shared his clam gun which gives my shoulders, knees and back a break. It takes some practice to get strong.

The first time I didn't even get my limit so I gave them all to my friend. The second time I didn't either, and he gave all his to me. My friend taught me how to clean them. I didn't like this part. It's like murdering small, helpless animals, even though they don't have eyes and sweet expressions. But they sure taste good! I hadn't eaten clams for years! Sorry to say, they aren't on the Hashimoto's diet as shellfish are considered toxic, but it's part of the local culture so I'm cheating. And these are as fresh as you can get rather than canned.

 

Today I bought my own clam gun! I'm so proud. I feel "official." Other tools and supplies are: clam digging license, bucket or clam net for carrying the catch, flashlight, headlight or lantern, really warm clothes and lots of layers, rain gear, gloves for warmth and plastic gloves to keep your hands dry, and water-proof boots.

Clamming equipment (left to right): lantern, bucket, net, license,
clam gun, gloves, rubber boots

This time of the year it can be very cold and wet so it pays to stay warm and dry. Low tide is often right at dusk and the best digging is after dark. When clam season opened a few weeks ago, I had never seen so many people on the beach at one time.

The first time we went I didn't have boots as my old ones were worn and no longer water proof. No boots means you don't have the luxury of wading in ice cold water and you constantly having to be aware of the waves unless you want to be soaked and freezing. This was a pain and made me not only ineffective, but not even helpful. Before the second dig, I bought some cheap boots at the local hardware store, but they were made with PVC so as soon as I got them in the car I couldn't breathe. I know PVC is deadly, but I figured I would get them home fast and let them offgas on the porch. I didn't even get out of the parking lot before I turned around and I returned them immediately all the while gasping for air. I know better! I got online and found 100% rubber boots at Cabela's, the store for all things outdoorsy or what I like to call the hunter's vortex complete with dead animal displays. Most of their products are made in the USA so I was very happy to spend twice as much for these boots in comparison to the cheap, toxic, Chinese-made boots. Good boots make all the difference and last twice as long. These boots still need to offgas out on the porch, but rubber isn't nearly as toxic as the PVC.

Third time, I went alone. I looked forward to it all week so when the rain started pouring and the wind blowing, did that stop me? No way! The great thing about bad weather is there aren't as many people. I finally got my limit of 15 and did it all before it got dark! Then this really cute Fish and Wildlife Officer pulled up beside me when I was walking back and asked how I did. He didn't want to count my clams, but I would have gladly showed them off. As we were talking I kept thinking, Oh Lord, I hope I counted right because if he counts and I'm over, I might be going to jail!"

Most of them nice and big, but the first couple I butchered
until I got the hang of it.

 

Ocean activities even during the cold of winter are not only invigorating, but also good for the respiratory tract. Any breathing difficulty or sinus congestion is quickly remedied with a good, clean ocean air activity. I look forward to these trips. I can breathe!



So fun! Excellent fragrance-free entertainment.

Ocean Adventures Part Twelve: I DID IT!

 

Today was my twelfth and last ocean adventure for my 2012 New Year's Resolution. Perhaps the only resolution I've made that I kept all year. It wasn't always easy, but I did it!

 

Hooray!

 

 

 

It was rainy, gray, and uneventful.

 

 

Desolate, quiet, and peaceful.

 

Cold, breezy, and wet.

 

All this driftwood was piled up on the beach from the last storm.

 

I always wonder what it's like here in the middle of a storm with dead trees flying around.

 

 

I did it! Resolution is over.

(Actually this is my 13th visit, but when I went clam digging I didn't take a camera.)

Ocean Adventure: Part Eleven: Dismal

Dismal certainly described the day: rain, wind, rain, wind.

 

Today I visited Dismal Nitch. I love the name. I think an alternative band should adopt this name and sing depressing songs about lost love and adolescent confusion.

I've driven past Dismal Nitch many times on the way to various places, but I've never stopped and never bothered to look at the memorial. It is dedicated to Lewis and Clark who stayed at Dismal Nitch in November of 1805. Clark wrote in his journal about how dismal it was back then, too.

Since the rain was beating down on me the whole time I stayed only long enough to step in some dog shit then left. Dismal, indeed.

Ocean Adventures, Part Ten: The Rock

This was the first beach I went to for my New Year's Resolution this year, but this is the ONLY time I've ever seen it when the tide is out. Here is the photo from March:

Cold, cold, cold, gray, gray, gray, windy, windy, windy, wet, wet, wet. BRRRRR!!!!

Today the tide was out and I was able to not only walk around the rock, but climb on top of it without waves crashing over me. View of the rock from a distance:

 

 

View from on top of the rock:

 

 

 

Pools with little critters left on top of the rock:

 



 

 





The skies don't get any bluer than this!

 

 

Well, unless the view is from the east!



 

 

No adventure, but the fresh air, wonderful ocean smell, sound of crashing waves and scenery were pure joy! I was so tempted to jump in the water, but it was COLD! And I didn't have a towel with me. Maybe tomorrow....



Ocean Adventures, Part Nine: I'm Official and Legal!!

I got my shellfish and seaweed recreational license! Along with it I bought a tide tables book and in order to figure out how to read it I went to the mud flats to compare the water levels. At 11:05am this morning the low tide was at its lowest at 2.7 feet. I was disappointed to find the oyster beds were totally covered. No indication at all that oyster beds were even there! I didn't attempt digging as I don't think the tide was out enough. Instead I strolled through the mud in the sun for some vitamin D therapy.

Unfortunately, my camera died this morning so I have no evidence.

 

The next low tide not in the middle of the night is Friday the 14th at 6:08pm at 0.8 feet. This is as low as it was when I discovered the beach so I am anticipating fun times and lots of clam digging excitement. I'll go again on Saturday at 6:30am when the tide will be at -0.2! NEGATIVE! I was told a negative reading is the best as the tide is REALLY, REALLY low. My neighbors who are from California plan to go with me that night when at 6:52pm the tide will be at 0.3.

Such an adventure! Hopefully my camera will be working. I think it's the battery.

Ocean Adventure, Part Eight: Mud Suck and Aphrodisiacs

Anytime I head to the ocean I always pass this beach that is less beach and more mud flats. When the tide is out, it's one long stretch of brown-gray sludge covered in flat ocean grass and seaweed.


I often see people out there with buckets and I've been told they are gathering seaweed. So, on my way to find an ocean adventure I thought it's time to discover what they are really doing once and for all.

 

When I arrived the tide was WAY, WAY out. After negotiating the rock wall that separates the highway from the beach,

I surveyed the area. I could see a small group of people with buckets to my left and another group to my right.

 

Since I'm normally driving down the highway unable to really look, I had never noticed just beyond the flats was something...? I decided to start there.

 

Hmmm...interesting. I had no idea what I was looking at but something was being cultivated in rows.

 

Lots of rows. A seaweed garden?

 

It went on for about two miles in both directions.

This close to the water the mud was so deep if I stood too long to study or take a picture I would get sucked down and the suction made it hard to remove my foot. I was a little worried I'd get stuck and the tide would roll in quickly. What would I do? Both groups of people were so far away I doubt if they could hear my screams. I guess someone would find my drown and dead body when the tide went out again. I really didn't look at the rows close enough since I was preoccupied with staying alive.

 

 

The group of people to my left looked closer so I started trudging through the mud toward them. It was slow going. Any time I leave footprints I always think of that story about Jesus carrying me and wonder: if he is really carrying me, why is this so difficult?  Have I been abandoned?

 

Along the way I saw all manner of seaweed from soft wispy kind,

to bulbous piles,

 

and also strange little mounds in the mud. I have no idea what I'm looking at, but I'm sure it's something fascinating.

As I got within fifty feet of the group, they started heading away from me!

"No, stop, don't run away! I'm trying so hard to catch up to you!"  I'm sure they thought I was crazy. Finally I did catch up to them and they were VERY informative.

They were gathering butter clams and oysters! I guess between two markers unbeknownst to me, this is a public beach. With a clamming license, one person can gather up to 18 oysters and 15 butter clams.

 

They also must be a certain size and the oysters must be shucked and their shells left on the beach for baby oysters to attach.

The seaweed rows are oyster beds! Ah ha! If you look closely at the above pictures you'll see the oyster shells attached to the rows, but the public can gather the oysters that are laying on the mud or under the mud. You need to bring a bucket, a shucking knife, and an oyster-raking tool.

 

(Oh! Is that what I have? All this time I was using it for gardening!)

 

Knowledge is power and this made me very aware of the crunching beneath my very thin beach boots as I walked. I was a little worried those sharp shells would cut into my feet.

 

The oysters are all over! On top of the mud, under the mud. Oysters are expensive and all this time I had an opportunity to gather them for free!

What was embarrassing to me is these people were from the Midwest and on vacation. They knew more about my area than I did! Of course, the man was a former marine biologist who used to work in the area. I have lived in the oyster capital of the world for the past seven years and this was the first time I had ever seen an oyster bed! How does this happen? Anyway, this new discovery inspired me! I felt the urge to run home, buy a license and come back outfitted for clamming and oystering, until I reminded myself I was Resting, Relaxing and Recuperating. Not a good idea to shuck oysters with bad arms and crippled hands. Next time!

After being educated on the advantages of living near the ocean, I thought I'd trudge back to the oyster fields for another look...by the time I got there it was nearly all under water! Tide was coming in...time to head back to land...fast!

 

 

What a lovely adventure!

 

Update: I drove by this beach today with the tide half way in and there is no sign of oyster beds. Everything is under water. I think I just lucked out at the right time to see the tide way out and the oyster beds showing.