Cyclone bomb and wild sea

Originating in the southern east coast of the USA the so called “Cyclone Bomb” hit last night with very high winds, but unlike other areas of the Maritimes we did not get the heavy snow.

Today with only the remnants of the storm remaining I ventured out for a wander on Crescent and Rissers beaches. The strong winds coming directly from the south at mid-tide produced enormous waves pushing the water into high tide areas. Judging by the debris, sea weed and sand thrown onto local roads and foot paths, today’s entertaining sea display was nothing in comparison to what it must have been during the night.

The ice shown in the last three photos formed in the shallows of inlets during last weeks “cold snap”. Last night’s storm with its heavy surges flooded those areas and broke the ice up.

Vastitude and Ice Art

Today on my first 5km beach wander of 2018, I stood on parts of Crescent Beach onto which I may never stand again, unless the rare tidal conditions coincide with another of my visits. The extremely low tide made the beach look vast and perfectly flat, making the only person on it (me…) feeling very small.

In a similar way to the last beach outing of 2017 (See ~ Would you like ice with that ….?), the wind was from the south west creating lively chills in the range of -20 to -30°C.

In a more sheltered area I found some interesting beach ice art left over from the receding water while on the rocks evidence of the higher tides.

Would you like ice with that ….?

The current “cold snap” which in recent days has hovered over most of Canada has now uncharacteristically hit the South Shore. The extreme cold conditions did not however stop me from the final wander of 2017, which as usual was absolutely awesome and perhaps the best of the year ~ well actually I find that every new wander is always better than the previous one …!!!

The outing started at my favourite spot on the LaHave Islands where often the changing seasons and conditions provide excellent photo opportunities. In order to access the location today, I had to first clear away some pine branches and logs which came from an adjacent tree that had fallen down during some recent high winds.

After the customary visit to the Islands it was onto a blistery but pleasant Crescent Beach. With a static temperature of about -12°C, I can only guess the wind chill equivalent to be in the -20 to -30°C range. In bright conditions with the tide just turning from an extreme low, I headed into a south west wind for the last beach walk of the year.

I would guess for most people the appeal of a beach in freezing cold conditions is just not there, always more of a summer draw. For me I prefer the beach in winter, there always seems to be a healthy freshness about it, which I have noticed can be measured by the broad smiles on the faces regulars I often meet there …..

Now it is onto 2018 and a little more of the beautiful South Shore.

Today’s selection below ….

Billy got millet for Christmas .....

While Ontario suffers with snow and sub-zero temperatures …..

…… here in Pleasantville and along the shore, it’s green, bright and lovely for an afternoon beach wander.