Reclaiming the Beach

After the storms people are out and about enjoying the beach. The horses were spirited and ready to move out fast.

There has been lots of erosion and it will take a while for the sand to come back to us.

Surfers were ready to test the waves.

I found a few shells...not perfect ones but enough to give hope that there will be some special ones.

Rustic Bread for Us

Hubby baked...and he did good!!

The Storms Continue...

When we ventured out today it was raining hard and the ocean was churning. They had the pier blocked off so you couldn't even walk out. I think that was a good decision because when I walked out there yesterday it was moving...a lot. I didn't stay long.

The seagulls were grounded and not anxious to move even when I walked fairly close. This made we think of the saying: "Birds of the feather flock together." They were braving the storm together.

This is the road where we usually drive down on the beach. I guess I should say this is where the road used to be. I wonder how long it will be before we can drive down there again. There has been lots of erosion with about a two foot shelf all along the shore here. In the 14 years that we have lived here by the beach, I don't think we have ever had a series of storms like this. This is the fourth day of hard wind and rain and one more bad one to go.

Rainbow and the Pot of Gold

The pot of gold is in our BARN! So...I guess our "gold" would be Johnny. After thunder and lightening, rain and hail we saw this beautiful rainbow. It was a brief break in the storm but it was beautiful.

Don't Mess with Mother Nature

After the wind and rain stopped this morning we drove down to the Pismo Pier again to see what was happening. The waves were pounding the pier hard enough that as I walked out I was thinking about what would be the best thing to do if it collapsed. Now, if it had really been a danger I'm sure they would have had the pier closed. But I did think about the possibility.

The waves crashed one after the other and the wind was cold. There was not a surfer in sight. The tide was very high reaching the stair way and walls along the parking lot.

The pounding of the waves left a layer of foam that was blowing with the wind. Of course, the beach camping area was closed and I assume that everyone that had been camping on Sunday had been sent home. It's no time to be trying to cross the creek, even at low tide! Tomorrow should be the highest wave height of this chain of storms. If it seems safe and prudent, we will make another trip.

Seems we have been lucky so far. There is no damage to our property. Ron used the tractor to direct water away from the house down into the garden area. Down the street a huge eucalyptus tree fell across the road and some in our area have been without power for 10 hours. We are thankful to have escaped it all. We have a fire in the wood stove and are cozy and warm. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Calm Before the Storm

We went to take another look at the waves. There has been so much on the news about the coming storms that we had to see what was happening. The tide was out...way out. It was also warm and not a breath of a breeze. That is very unusual. I had a jacket, as I always do, because you just know you will need it. But not today. It was beautiful and I took my jacket off! The sand was swept clean of any shells or rocks.

We are waiting...just waiting for the storm.

Surprise Sunrise

Early this morning the cats were all up prowling around looking for food and walking on top of me.  When I went into the kitchen to start the coffee, this is what I saw. WOW...the animals knew best.

Waves and Windsurfing

The weather gurus are predicting huge waves...20 feet or so by next week. Yesterday we went down to have a look. The waves were bigger than usual but certainly not big by Hawaii standards. What was impressive was the number of wind surfers that were out. It was a perfect day for them and at one point I counted 10 in a row. I wonder what their rules of the road are. How do they keep from getting all tangled up with each other? Several times I just knew they were going to get the lines wound around and pull both down but it never happened.

We will keep a watch on the surf as it is supposed to get bigger by next week as several storms come rolling in. When it is calm again, it will be a good time to go look for shells.

Beauty and a Beast

Johnny is such a sweet boy... most of the time. I love his eyes and the way he comes to get apples and carrots. His nose is so soft as he snuffles around my hand to get every bit of treat. When I come out the back door he nickers softly to say hello. When I open the barn door to let him out onto the pasture he always goes and does his business before he leaves. I hardly ever have to clean up the pasture...he goes back to the barn when he needs to do his thing. I don't know if this is normal for horses but it sure surprised me. It makes my barn chores so easy to have all the mess in one place. This is all good news. THEN he turns into the wild child.

He has this mischievous side. He will work and work and work to open the barn door and eventually it will come open. So now I have to put a second snap on. I will groom him for about an hour and then he goes and rolls in the dirt! I clean his hooves and trim them all nice and smooth and he goes and walks in the mud.   And what do I do with this hair? After a good run it looks scary. Last week I got out the vacuum and blew all the sand and dust out of his long hair. It worked quite well once I convinced him he liked sunflower seeds more then he was afraid of the vacuum!

Oh, Johnny, we love you...we do...we really do.

Sign Of Spring?

Didn't we just start winter on December 21? I didn't expect these narcissus to be poking their heads up for a while. When I did a little walk around the yard, there they were so perky and happy in their little bed behind the barn. I couldn't resist bringing some into the house. They make me smile.

Once In A Blue Moon

This was our New Year's Eve blue moon. I never really understood that saying, other than "not very often", but now I do. When there are two full moons in the same calendar month, the second one is called a blue moon. This happens roughly every two or three years. Last night was one of those blue moons and to make it even more special it happened on New Year's eve. The night was crisp but we went out and had a look. It was beautiful with fluffy clouds across the sky. This has got to mean we are going to have a good 2010. Happy New Year!