Looks like Stormy Weather

February 24-25~
Today we had a break in the rain and snow---

                                                                                     photo: LK_thanks!

....the days are still grey and gloomy but 40 degress. With the threat of more snow and ice to arrive tonight and last through the next three days, I yet again stocked my fridge with food and cupboards with loo paper, as a friend likes to say---then hustled off for a nice long hike on the beach before the storm arrives.

                                                                                                                  photo: LK_thanks!

Only to discover that yesterday's storm bought huge waves that breached the dunes and left my own beach inaccessible. In the summer it's fine to wade through a 2 or 3 feet deep pond of coastal flooding but just too darn cold today. And gee, I didn't pack my waders. I actually had to get back into my grocery laden Jeep and drive a mile down the island to what is known as the surfing beach.

I never drive to the beach---it is usually simply there. Imagine my surprise to find the very narrow eroded and flooded beach area---

---filled with cars and the ocean with at least twenty brave---or crazy?--- surfers! I figure the air at 40* is probably warmer than the ocean. Yet there they were, in their black winter wetsuits.

There was a wild and nasty shore break going on that looked more spaghetti pot over-boils than pipeline,

but way, way further out there was a line of huge rolling waves and the guys were getting some good rides.

I am guessing the waves were created by a winter sandbar formed by the storms we've been having--the beach has to have gone somewhere, right? Because all that remained were dunes cut into cliffs and maybe 50 feet of wet sand that was being encroached upon by those turbulence onshore waves. This jetty is usually mostly buried in sand! Keep in mind, my island's beach is often a quarter mile wide/ deep ---sometimes more.
Beautiful, in its wintery way....

No treasures though, the sand swept clean and barren.

and then the snow came.....


and came.....

                                                                                                          photo: LK_thanks!

Spring will be here soon...right? Right.

Stay warm! Drive safely!

Enjoy!

love, lizzy at gone to the beach......