6: coastal dunes

Dear Friend,

Would you mind giving us a re-cap of the past two weeks of your life? Have you been busy?

I can’t imagine that your days rolled in and out with no surprises. But, if they did, and you are telling me that you have experienced uneventful busy-ness, I have to ask, how did you manage that?

Today is National Walk Your Dog Day. If you have been on the fence about adopting a pet (of any kind), just know that there are countless friends, ready and waiting, and today is a great day to meet them!  Beyond that, if your weather is amendable, I hope that you enjoy your walkies, today, and every day!

If you would like help finding an Animal Rescue organization near you, don’t hesitate to Contact Leslie, I will be VERY HAPPY to help you with that!

(If you are wondering… No, we still don’t have a dog. But as soon as we can provide for one, we will celebrate Walk Our Dog Day every day)!  

We've made our way to the coast of California.

When you think of - Sand between your toes... - do you imagine being barefoot out in the desert, or do you see yourself walking along a river or an ocean beach?

Sand is sand, right? Unfortunately, no. It turns out that the differences between sea sand and desert sand is big. As you know, concrete is made with sand but not just any sand. Because concrete depends on material sticking together, it usually requires the rough-edged sand found along waterways, not the smooth, wind-hewn sand of the deserts.

Sadly, sand is such an important commodity that it has become another thing for people to war about and steal. If you have time, please watch this informative and entertaining BBC Video: What if the World Runs Out of Sand? (Link follows this letter)

What are your best memories of standing in sand? (I’m asking you, not your cat). (smile).

Is it desert sand or sea sand in those memories?

Coastal dunes are created along the shorelines of the world. Water and wind, tides and, at times, people, dictate the placement of sand particles.

As you know, sea sand is formed over time when mountain rocks break down to pebbles and further, into sand, which is transported by rivers and streams down and out into the ocean. There, the tiny rock particles (sand) form sand bars and the sand is tossed about by surf, spat out onto the shore, and picked up by wind to form dunes. (There’s way more to it, but that’s the basics).

Just like desert dunes, the shape and height of coastal dunes are impacted by vegetation, other dunes, and man-made structures, all of which obstruct the dispersal of sand particles.

Along the coast, plants that grow well in sand are not always ‘Native’ plants and some become so prolific that they tend to take over, becoming ‘invasive.’ You know iceplant, right? Iceplant reminds me of being at the ocean so I have always liked it. But several years ago, I was told that ice-plant along the California coastline is actually bad. Oh, No!

In the early 1900s, iceplant was brought to the coast of California from South Africa and was planted to deter erosion along railroads and coastal highways. But it spread and easily squeezed out the native vegetation. Now, iceplant is being removed from miles and miles of coastline, native plants are making a comeback and wildlife continues to think that people are funny.

 We’ll be writing from the coast for a while. It’s incredible to be this close to the ocean, and it is truly a gift to be living at a time that allows us to keep in touch with you and share (back and forth) about so many beautiful things and places!

 Please Write to Us and tell us how you’ve been! And let us know your thoughts about iceplant, native plants, coastal dunes... And also, if you ever have Nature Stories and/or Photos that you would like for us to share on our Tracks Post, just let us know, we will be putting together a future post with shares from our Friends!

Thank you for being here to read Tracks by the Post! We are grateful for you!

Wishing you a week-full of the kind of surprises that make your heart glad.

Gently Be,

Leslie and Frank

Here is the link to BBC Video: What if the World Runs Out of Sand?