Subject: [Tweeters] Point Magic
Date: Jun 21 09:49:11 2014
From: Jeff Gibson - gibsondesign at msn.com


Darn just did it again! Admiralty Inlet is EAST of Pt. Wilson. Too much magic? Contact alzheimers? Whatever.
Jeff Gibson

From: gibsondesign at msn.com
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: RE: [Tweeters] Point Magic
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2014 09:43:24 -0700




In another case of compass dyslexia, I sure did flub my Point Magic story. The obvious correction is that the Straits of Juan de Fuca are North and WEST of Pt. Wilson, and that Admiralty Inlet is WEST and South of Pt Wilson. Since I've been in Port Townsend I've been getting my east and west mixed up in writing and verbal communication. Too much magic maybe.
Jeff Gibson

From: gibsondesign at msn.com
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2014 08:57:34 -0700
Subject: [Tweeters] Point Magic













Still in Port Townsend mostly, doing my temporary job of herding my elderly parents. I'm thankful that they arranged to need my help in such an interesting place. They've been retired here for about 24 years.
So Wednesday night I took an evening walk out on the beach at Point Wilson. Point Wilson is on the exact corner of the main (but not only) entrance into Puget Sound. To the North and East of Point Wilson are the Straits of Juan de Fuca. West and South from the point are the waters of Admiralty Inlet, and Puget Sound.
The point really is sort of a magical spot, in my opinion. I was there an hour before sundown for a healing saunter and decided on focusing on the South side of the point which would put the sun at my back, for better viewing.
The first bit of magic was the mountains. Oh sure, we all know, via cartography, that mountains stay put on the map, and via geology that they don't change size too fast (with St. Helen's, Oso, etc. exceptions). But the perceptive around here know that they change all the time.
Last night Mt. Baker (or Komo Kulshan if you prefer) looked particularly puny, standing up free of clouds. Distant Rainier (or Tahoma) , also clear, looked especially distant too. Sometimes these mountains look closer and larger, sometimes they don't. As to the rest of the Cascades- well there weren't any, or maybe they were just hiding behind their own clouds, like a squid in it's ink. A newcomer to the area might not even believe there were any more mountains over there, the rest of the sky being a nice clear blue dome.
Then there was some water magic. From the Point looking across Admiralty Inlet one can see the strong tide rips, at the right time, as all the water going past is either filling, or emptying , Puget Sound. On Wednesday the tide range at Port Townsend was 9 ft. At Seattle ,12 ft., and at Sounds end in Olympia, 16ft. I visualize it like filling a tub with a strong hose of water - the water piling up a bit at the far end of the tub. Even at just 9 ft of change, that's a lot of water to fill the whole Sound, and in only about 6 hrs. While the vast majority of water comes in past Pt. Wilson, a fair bit shoots,( at high speed) through Deception Pass, and a little tinkle comes in and out of the Sound through Swinomish Slough by La Conner.
Normally a resident of Mudville (aka Everett Wa) I revel in the clear waters here in Port Townsend, so unlike the estuary murk of home. Here at the point with the settling sun at my back it was very calm and the only waves coming in were from boat traffic, one dependable source being the incredibly loud and gas-guzzling Victoria Clipper which zooms by here each evening at high speed, no doubt filled with tea-and-crumpet-stuffed tourists heading home from Victoria B.C. As well as tea and crumpets, Victoria is also the home of "mister floaty" (and presumably "missus floaty") since this city still dumps it's poop straight into the strait without sewage treatment.
Well, didn't see any Canadian drift logs (if you know what I mean) washing up in the clear waves at the point, just clear waves. The water so clear that the sun shining through the face of the waves lit the bottom sand and cobbles so I could see the underwater shore like looking through the window of an aquarium, just for a moment before the waves curled too far over to see through. That was some visual magic.
There was some bird magic too. The distant tide rips were full of birds, as is often the case here. The point is on a major commuter route of Protection Island Rhinoceros Auklets, many of 'em heading home for the evening. Along the calmer beach south of the point I got my best view of these auklets ever from shore, as several were fishing very close by. Lit by the settling sun behind me I could see all the details of their plumy and horny breeding attire. Several had their beaks stuffed with drooping Sandlance (or Candlefish if you prefer). In fact the water here was full of jumping little Sandlance, glowing incandescent in the sun as they arced through the air.
Guillemots are abundant here, and I saw a few. One Heerman's gull flew by, in full white-headed glory. At the point the only Osprey I've seen since I got to PT was diving into the Sound, along with a Caspian Tern. Mudville doesn't have much clear water but does have lots of Ospreys and Terns, which are fewer here.
As the sun went down right at the point, a seal, head glistening like a giant kelp bulb, was watching me walk about on shore. Or maybe it was just watching the magic show.
Jeff Gibsonreporting from Pt. WilsonPort Townsend Wa





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