On 5/18/09, went with J.L. (and G.) to walk her two beach segments, Slip Point and Middle Point beaches, at Clallam Bay on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Surprisingly long drive (perhaps because not as familiar). It might have been the wettest weather I have stayed outdoors in since I moved here. Warm; but wet wears you down eventually. Only took pictures by whipping the camera out from under the poncho already pointed down. No rain on the lens, but also no context to show, only wrack.
We found no bird carcasses. Compared to Rialto Beach last weekend, a lot of sea stars were washed up on the beach; crabs, shells, even some sponges growing around the stipes of stranded kelp. In a small way this must be what Ebbesmeyer calls a "wash-up beach". We picked up a lot of trash—it turns out our COASST backpacks do include trash bags in one of their innumerable zippered pockets, and part of the assignment is to fill out a National Marine Debris Monitoring Program Data Card for each beach segment, whether you gather the trash or not. Somehow overlooked that on my first outing.
It was much easier to feel we have covered the beach with three of us spread out walking our wavy paths. Still, I am having to learn to resist my unconscious tendency to move down closer to the water, to look out at the water, the sky; to drift along listening to the waves, whatever. No-o-o-o, I need to be up kicking around in the wrack line; eyes skimming the beach; scanning for trash; thinking about here, not there; beach, not ocean.
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