AnticipationThetys vaginaChrysaoraEmerita analogaChondrophoreMetacarcinus magister carapaceSiliqua patula‘Bout half a dollarClinocardium nuttalliiScavengers made off with the headFound: Coho salmon headUnder the spell of an east windSiliqua patulaTrace of a lone elkWhen morning sunlight tops the foredune
December 14, 2022
Beauty insideThe Lion presidingTrace of the tidePhyllospadixDiodora asperaZosteraSemibalanus cariosus fragmentNucella lamellosaMetacarcinus magister shell fragmentsEmpty limpet shell and swash work magicSudsy sea foam remains ***
November 29, 2022
From the foredune, the morning looks promisingChrysaoraSiliqua patulaEmerita analogaSiliqua patulaAvian traceDendraster excentricusMetacarcinus magister carapacePhyllospadix and other sea wrackGood-sized wood, and it’s on the movePartial Emerita analoga exoskeletonA meeting of drifted material from three ecosystemsLost lineDisappearing in the swashMytilus californianusGaper fragment, probably Tresus capaxIdentifying juvenile clupeids on our shore can be tricky***
October 27, 2022
Any treasures out there?Trace of the tideBull kelp NereocystisEelgrass ZosteraWrack between the surf zone below and bare sand aboveRed fringe Smithora on an eelgrass bladeA delicate green epiphyte on eelgrassA beachcast jelly | Halimedusa? Drifter come to restCommon raven tracks near a carcassOysterFat gaper Tresus capaxSurfgrass PhyllospadixIt resembles an agate, but it’s a jelly fragment | Chrysaora?***
September 30, 2022
Love on the foreduneDown on the beach, a broad band of sea wrackBait bag, probably from a commercial Dungeness crab trapPacific saury, seldon seen on the beachMasses of eelgrass, surfgrass, and kelp dot the beachRed fringe Smithora naiadum on eelgrassCostaria hiding out in a bull kelp tangleDrift Postelsia‘s business endA whole sand dollar test!I bit of drifted greenFish tubA drifted piling, but from where?California sea lion carcassGulls check out every new piece of driftwoodAncient stump, mostly buried | Sea wrack in the distance***
September 29, 2022
PhyllospadixAequoreaPododesmusPotpourriPostelsiaHitchhikers on a featherCobbles and driftwood have their uses on the beachMytilus californianus showing off its radial ribsStanding in the swashFucusAurelia fragmentFucus with reproductive structuresTrace of a wanderer (Chrysaora)Sargassum with receptaclesEnd of the rideFucus‘s forked blades are lovelyBeach hopper workings outline Postelsia baldesAlso known as bullwhip kelpA tangle of drift bull kelpSomething intimate about decayI’m grateful for the viewThose claws | Dungeness crabOn castle spiresLessoniopsis littoralis remainsBalancing actTell me the storyTreated timber and the regular kindPretty far north for a spotfin surfperch ***
August 11, 2022
Ready to cross the threshold?Sparse wrack lineZones to knowWhat’s more satisfying than a perfect molt?California mussel Mytilus californianusEnd of the ride for the hitchikersWhole test! | Dendraster excentricusBalanus crenatus (I think) on the inside of a washed up mussel shellSea gooseberries rolled in on the swashThe jelly makes a credible lens that picks up light and magnifiesProbably a remnant construction of Dodecaceria (sometimes called false brain coral)Sand-laden casings, but what kind?***
July 14, 2022
Step right upZones to knowA bit of driftwood in the wrack lineDrift PhyllospadixStrong stuffPyropiaMust’ve fallen off its perch on a nearby rockAn always lovely tellinJumped right out of the tidepool chasing a smaller fish (That’s focus!) ***
July 13, 2022
AnticipationZone of big wood way up in the cobblesSparse wrack lineA narrow band of sea wrack at the upper edge of the wet cobblesI’ve always called shells like this tellinsSame shell turned over***
June 16, 2022
Expecting a damp morning on the wrack lineSeawatch doing its jobPaintbrush presidingDendrasterThat’s what I’m talking about***
June 15, 2022
A midnight high tide wetted the cobblesPelagic cormorantLost plastic pieceWorn styrofoam floatPelagic barnacles washed ashore on a plastic raftDungeness crab abdomen (female)Drifted California musselsStep right upMostly PhyllospadixProbably a bait jar lidThe wadAlways lovely tellinA prized whole sand dollar***
May 18, 2022 (Central Oregon Coast)
Tide’s low and getting lowerEmpty NassaLost crab trapSquid egg capsules***
May 17, 2022 (Central Oregon Coast)
Early morning moongladeBig wood up in the cobblesFresh drift feather boa just might generate some interest from the gullsGreat blue heron tracks | Messy walker***
Stephanocystisosmundacea, bladder chainBoring clam tunnels exposedAgate among the cobblesAdula, date mussel, pea podFossil bivalve in ancient backshore sedimentsCrassadoma gigantea, rock scallopDiodora aspera, rough keyhole limpetLessoniopsis littoralis | That holdfast has a grip!***
May 13, 2022(Central Oregon Coast)
Expecting treasures aheadSoft plastic fishing lureBivalve shells in ancient sedimentsRazor clam shellPiddock workingsFossil clam Probably a remnant construction of Dodecaceria (sometimes called false brain coral)Smithora (red) on Zostera (green)Sometimes called sea oats, these are the drifted egg cases Nucella lamellosa, a dogwinkle***
April 20, 2022
From the zone of big woodShell fragments in the cobbles A tuft of drift corallinePododesmus macroschisma, green false jingleSame P. macroschisma shell flipped over to show the undersurfaceDrifters, stuck in the sand***
April 19, 2022
Wrack line and big wood up in the cobblesLost knotChelsea FCFloat fragmentPododesmus macrochisma placed on barnacles for a better viewSame P. macrochisma shell turned over to expose the insideCobble cairns***
April 9, 2022
Haystack RockCape Kiwanda***
March 22, 2022
Hug Point in the mirrorHug Point looking south, into the mistSquinting to make out the headland to the north***
February 24, 2022
Where cobble and sand meetMoon jelly morningMoon jelly***
February 23, 2022
Beach view to the southCrassadoma gigantea, rock scallop, as I found itSame shell, flipped over to expose the inside surface***
February 1, 2022
The wad is ever-presentMostly terrestrial material and plastic fragmentsLost linesIndustrial strength floatCut flowers are more common than you might thinkLost float/buoyBull kelp nori Drift bull kelpSea oats (Nucella eggs)Bone from the upper jaw (young humpback)Too much of thisDungeness carapaceMoon jelly remainsCrassadoma gigantea, rock scallop