Driftwood

I have always appreciated the plentiful driftwood on Great Lakes beaches, especially the pieces found close to home on Lake Superior.

Found on most shorelines, driftwood are pieces of fallen trees that have been worn down and polished by currents, sand and rocks in a lake or ocean. Typically driftwood is lightweight and a gray color due to the effects of months or years of sun and water exposure.

The misshapenness of driftwood is one of its most endearing qualities. Two people can look at a piece of driftwood and see two very different things, based on their own imagination and sometimes even the angle of viewing. I always find it similar to the patterns and shapes of clouds or an abstract painting. Neither can be defined or labeled but are subjective, depending entirely on the viewer’s perspective.

The two pieces shown above resemble a bird and horse to me. But flipped over or viewed from different angles, they could also look like a bat hanging upside down or the northern boundary of the Upper Peninsula! The possibilities are endless.

Driftwood is art itself but can also be used to produce other art, including sculptures, mobiles, wreaths, ornaments, and frames. The beautiful hanging art was created by a cabin guest.

Speaking of wood in lakes, it also reminds me of the curious occurrence of a large log getting stuck vertically in the bottom of a lake and jutting out of the water. Growing up we called these “dead heads” and were cautious of them when navigating Otter Lake. Some of these “dead heads” can outlive Jerry Garcia, too! The "Old Man of the Lake” in Oregon’s Crater Lake is a full-size tree that has been bobbing vertically in the lake for more than a century.