Boyds Untethered

We have been getting lots of sea fog here in the last few weeks. Often, just in the morning but sometimes it is here all day. With the help of Google I have learned that it is a common phenomenon in the spring and summer.  Costal fog is caused by advection.... which is a fancy way of saying that the warm moist air, from the land, is blown, by nocturnal winds, out over the sea waters, which are cooler and therefore cause some of the moisture in the air to condense. It definitely adds an element of interest to our daily walks. I can remember many days from my youth in Vancouver when the fog was so thick it was hard to see well enough to drive but at least thus far, we have not had that here.

In September of 2008, Hurricane Ike’s floodwaters ravaged the historic oak trees of Galveston’s east end. They had been planted during the grade raising that followed the 1900 Storm.... but couldn’t endure the more than 10ft of saltwater and sludge that buried the neighborhood. Several local and regional artists decided that instead of stumps, they’d celebrate the trees with sculptures. There’s a guide book and map that will lead you on a walking or bike tour of all of them.... most of which are in the historic east end and in private yards.

Some days our beach adventure includes lots of Sea foam.... which forms when the ocean is agitated by wind and waves.  Algae blooms are one common source of thick sea foams. When large blooms of algae decay offshore, great amounts of the decaying matter often wash ashore. Foam forms as this organic matter is churned up by the surf.  Most sea foam is not harmful to humans and is often an indication of a productive ocean ecosystem.

For more than 30yrs Galveston has hosted a huge sandcastle competition. This is not your plastic bucket and shovel kind of event. In fact it is hosted by the American Institute of Architects and builds the kind of sandcastles that you might expect from a group like that.  It used to be in June but now the event is in late August.  2020’s event was one of the many Covid cancellations.... but we are hopeful for this year. In the meantime we enjoy the amateur offerings that we find along the beach after each weekend.