Growing up along the shores of Lake Michigan, I've always been partial to the sand there, soft, off-white, and very clean. But I have gained an appreciation for some qualities of this Pacific Northwest sand as seen here in Ocean Shores, Washington. This sand is much dirtier, darker, and finer-grained, packing almost like clay, which is why people can drive on the beach here. As water washes up onshore at Lake Michigan, it sinks almost immediately through the sand. In Washington, a thin layer of water sits right on top of the sand as the waves recede, leaving this expansive reflection. Add to that the fact that small tide waves move so much further up the beach than waves on the Great Lakes, and I think this combination makes for a surreal scene, part seascape, part cloudscape.
