This One Probably Won’t Drift Away

Okay, a lot of people wouldn’t mind having this problem. Living on Mud Bay I like to keep the shore in front of my house reasonably clear of logs, large branches, lumber, trash, dead fish, and other flotsam washed in by the tide. Most of the time all this means is waiting for a subsequent—and often higher—tide to carry the natural objects away. I clean up the man-made stuff, like plastic bottles and bags, right away. Last night, however, a log washed up (see photo) that doesn’t look like it is going anywhere soon.

It’s an ugly thing, about 14 feet long, barnacle covered and partially waterlogged. Whatever combination of wind, tide, and current brought it here also conspired to get my attention by depositing it directly in front of the kitchen window. Likely it has been drifting around Dyes Inlet for weeks seeking permanent rest on some beach like those huge gray sun-weathered driftlogs you see along the Washington coast. I wonder if other waterfront property owners have influenced its journey by dragging it back into the water from their beaches in a “pass it on, no return” scheme. I won’t do that, but if nature decides to intervene over the next few days, I won’t mind. Otherwise, this one is going to North Mason Fiber for recycling.