Up until 1967 the residents of Fort Bragg, CA, used to dump all their trash over the edge of the coastal cliffs into a small cove. Back then you would have found a smoldering pile of junk, including everything from coke bottles to entire cars. Fortunately they got smart enough to stop the uncontrolled dumping, and over the course of several decades the ocean transformed the horrific trash heap into something miraculous: a beach composed almost entirely of tiny polished pebbles of multi-colored sea glass. It is an inspiring success story of the forgiveness and self cleansing our Earth is capable of. Unfortunately, though, there are limits to this process, and I suspect we will one day find out what those limits really are.
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I generally don’t spend my time photographing old man made trash heaps, so the rest of my time on the coast I explored more natural treasures. Anyone who grew up in California (or other areas where kelp forests are plentiful) knows the joys of swinging giant kelp arms through the air. Well, in all my time on the beaches of the Pacific coast I had never seen as large a pile of fresh kelp as on this trip. It was like a gigantic bowl of pacific vermicelli, with natural sea salt flavorings, of course.
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There is something magical about the way that hazy coastal sunlight illuminates vegetation. Be it piles of kelp, lichens, or damp and mossy branches. There is a special quality of life that comes out of the playing light and shadows that I find incredibly appealing. Next time you see the sun glinting through the crisp and damp forest, take an extra moment to enjoy it.
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Tags: california coast, fort bragg, glass beach, mendecino
Cool stuff, Floris. As always! 🙂
Beautiful work!