My 300th Post

Here are four fairly different photos from the same general location: a lesser-known beach in my town.

I took these yesterday, and for my 300th post I bring you the historic Lake Harbor Park in Muskegon.

The first photo confused the others who have looked at it. It is of darker coloured sand with the extent of recent, previous waves still visible as whitish scribbles upon the sand's muted colours. In the upper left is another wave rushing in to also leave its mark. In the lower right, the roots of dune grasses pop up. The roots typically extend 3-4 feet through the sand.

Photo two was taken from the rocks near some kind of (former?) pumping station with good security measures. I drank my lunch there under the shade of a very nice tree that was early to sprout leaves. I spotted a couple ducks and zoomed my camera in, crouched down, focused and snapped off this pic of a male mallard sitting on the water. I later missed the chance to photograph one coming in for a landing.

Photo three shows the remains of what might have been a dock at one point. This one is pretty shallow, so I do not understand its entire purpose, nor is enough left to tell exactly what it was there for. Back in the early 1900s, my town switched from logging to tourism for our economy, so we built up our beaches and city with many great attractions. This may have been part of one at one point as it was between the park and our largest beach. In the distance is the site of photo two, where the tree nearest the water spreads out over the boulders.

Photo four is of what is known as a foredune. A foredune is a low 'dune' (hill of sand) typically covered in dune grass. They're usually found between the water (there isn't always a beach, per se, but often just an eroded drop off) and the main dune, which is where the trees are typically found. The grasses are sometimes called Razor Grass, and that's for a good reason; also, this is where the air feels hottest in most cases. Never enter it barefoot.

Here is often how the end, or toe, of a foredune looks:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z72PLj3z94Q/VzDjgOuNClI/AAAAAAAArMM/CYG1stIx250W3-m6acq4pNlXzA35kpPqwCL0B/w433-h577-no/Lake%2BHarbor%2BPark%2B204.JPG
They often drop off from 2-11 feet here due to wave-action when the tide comes in, especially after winter. They're only held together by the long, tough roots of the dune grasses.

And this is Lake Harbor Park. It's near my house, so I go there to swim, walk, and hike.

Currently, I'm working on a long-term photography project involving a bird that has nested outside of my window. I need only 4 photos (eggs [which I currently have a great shot of], bird, babies, what's left when they leave), but doing it without scaring off the mother is difficult. I'll get back to you all with that one eventually, if it goes well.