Flotsam

“When the thunderstorm hits, you want to be inside.”

-Overheard at Starbucks.

Alder umbrella.

You should see my trees. Long-limbed and lush-leaved, they are growing in a fully horizontal “habit”, as the plant dorks say.

For now, they are exotically private jungle shade. Come winter, I suspect they will be terrifying.

When I am at Washaway Beach, I am on a magnificent artistic retreat! In Seattle, I am broke. While I don’t recommend this plan to fiscal conservatives, the gift of  freedom is precious time here.

Seaweed textiles.

I have been  finding it helpful to listen to Meat Loaf’s “Bat out of Hell” on vinyl. Blasphemers, please shut up. By the light of the moon, there is not another moment to waste.

WWII gun turret almost buried.

Free at last.

The Fourth of July melee was avoided, as always. I did  hear about some break-ins, but other than leftover fireworks and some VERY irritating yappy dogs (Shiloh and George, you know who you are)  things have been mostly quiet.

The weather has been inconsistent, but there are some signs of summer.

Forts are back.

Jeffro Uitto

When not surfing, Tokeland artist Jeffro Uitto makes furniture and sculpture out of local driftwood that is just incredible. His company is called Knock on Wood. Dude, you seriously need to check out this guy’s work. Hopefully I’ll make a pile of money in my next gig or next life, because I want to buy all of it.

http://www. jeffrouitto.com

Non-Japanese flotsam.

Speaking of what the South Beach Bulletin calls  “Beachcombing Bonanzas!”, the Japanese tsunami debris is showing up here, as you may have heard.

Japanese flotsam.

Governor Christine Gregoire released $500,000 for debris cleanup. “In the last few weeks, we have seen a steady stream of Syrofoam, plastic bottles and other non-hazardous, non-biodegradable debris showing up on our shores,” she said.

Concrete-covered strofoam.

A curious, concrete-wrapped styrofoam block appeared. Some thought it was part of that Japanese dock that showed up on the Oregon coast with the non-native barnacles.

 There is hot competition among the avid beachcombers. My neighbor Craig found a green glass float, big as a basketball, that is the envy of everyone.

Craig scored!

He also found a flip-flop with Japanese writing. Marcy found a tiny Croc with barnacles, and Ray found a green flip flop that looks very Japanese. Now I have a whole staff collecting lost soles for me.

Craig also found a bomb! The sheriff came, and then the bomb squad in a monster truck. Not sure I would be picking this stuff up. I told Craig to check and see if he glows in the dark now.

“Did you order a bomb, sir?” -Inspector Cluseau

Then again, Marcy found a big chunk of Ambergris, or whale puke, an ingredient in perfume that is supposedly worth bucks in France, and now all the enterpreneurial tweekers are scrambling to discern styrofoam from vomit.

Non-whale debris.

“As more interesting things wash ashore, I think we’ll see an increase  in visitation and tourism,” Steve Brand of Washington State Parks told the Coast River Business Journal.

Meanwhile, as you plant dorks already know, it was a good year for roses.