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Reflecting the Fibonacci Sequence; found in our spiral galaxy, hurricanes and self-organizing nucelotides, this simple but elegant centerpiece anchors the entry.
Viewing the disused salt ponds along Mt. Eden Creek from the ground yields the impression of barren flat fields embedded with a somewhat random scattering of ruins and artifacts. My first aerial photographs of the area revealed a rich assortment of overlaid traces and patterns. The scenes juxtaposed faint, meandering traces of natural features dating back to the original marsh with a chaotic overlay of human features that, in aggregate, divided the scene into fragments difficult to comprehend. I slowly developed an awareness that these traces superimposed patterns of the original marsh, interventions of successive stages in the salt industry, the gravitational pull of different transportation systems, and elements associated with collateral use of the wetlands. What an interesting puzzle! The levees and other features from the early 19th Century salt works provided the finest grain of subdivision, generally more faint than other features. The older layers were organized around natural features that initially constrained growth and the availability of transportation, first via boat landings and later the railroad.
This set of photographs was taken at the site of the Oliver Salt Works, one of the last independent salt operations in the Bay. Oliver Salt was located on the banks of Mt. Eden Creek, the “cradle of the salt industry in California” according to author John Sandoval. In the current day, this is the most preserved ruin of an early salt work although there is little left above waist height. Once closed to the public, the area is now open to hikers and bird watchers as part of the Eden Landing Ecological Reserve. It is well worth a visit.
This was a late day KAP session with a sublimely smooth breeze from the west. The kite flew well and the camera seemed particularly steady. I kept the camera aloft until well after sunset.
I am taking these documentary photographs under a Special Use Permit from the California Department of Fish & Wildlife. Kite flying is prohibited over the Eden Landing Ecological Reserve without a Special Use Permit.