A little more on Shoalwater

As a follow up on yesterday's post on Cape Shoalwater I marked the location of the rock armored home that was pictured in yesterday's post on the 1990, 2005 and 2006 aerials/satellite images. The change from 2005 to 2006 is ---- use your own adjective.

House site 1990 is circled

2005 and the water view is fantastic

2006 and the ocean can be viewed from three sides.

I am not sure of the permitting rules in Pacific County, but it appears the home was built sometime after 1990 as I can't see it or an access drive to the site in the 1990 image. There are allowances for reasonable use of your land that varies from community to community. In a small coastal county like Pacific County living with the fact that much of the developed area will be inundated by tsunami waves when the next big subduction quake takes places, the attitude towards the impermanence of homes on sandy shores may not be the same as more stable areas. I have to say I was impressed with the effort by the property owner to save the house without moving it. Keep in mind this is the open Pacific Ocean and this coast gets really big waves. Dave Tucker noted via email that the home was posted with a sign saying Isle Knot Go. Another home was labeled Willy B Next.

One last note. As stated in yesterday's post most of the shoreline in this area is accreting with lines of dune sets paralleling the coast. As the new land and sand is added, the dunes are covered with forest. The low areas behind the dunes are wet land areas ideal for growing cranberries. The farm fields in the upper right of the satellite images are cranberry bogs.

Cranberry bog in winter near Cape Shoalwater