Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Clinton




The beach heads north from Possession at the south end of the island, eventually growing wider and forming Columbia Beach. Then it squeezes under the ferry dock, and surprise, it pops out on the north side in a new park. They tore down the old buildings and have created a great, and much needed, little diversion for folks waiting to catch the boat.

Freeland Beach


Freeland. I've been swinging by this beach now and then to watch how it responds to the new stormwater outfall in the middle of the park (not terribly well, as the flows seem sufficient to carve a significant channel across the beach and transfer much of the sand offshore, which also results in erosion of bank adjacent to the outlet). This time, however, the beach was doing okay - other than it was blanketed with 6" of dead eelgrass. This is a typical autumn phenomenon, albeit one that varies significantly from year to year and that is probably more characteristic of some beaches than others.

Ledgewood Beach






Lessons in drainage. Big pipes, little pipes. Leaky pipes, broken pipes.

Skyline




Building ON the beach. Literally (or littorally?). This style of development is, fortunately, pretty rare on the Sound once you get away from the urban waterfronts. Somehow seems more like Orange County than Skagit County.

Point Partridge




I'm digging back in photos after a long absence - to early September. Back to Fort Ebey State Park, scouting for a field trip and wondering if a tour bus can make the bend at the end of the road (three weeks later, it did, but just barely).

Angle of Repose. Not just a novel by Stegner, but a measure of the angle at which slopes form in loose materials. In gravel and coarse sand, typically around 34 degrees. Check it against the horizon line - it really works!