It's been a beautiful day . . . .

The storm is over, the sun is shining, and the weather is warm. Thankfully, there was hardly any property damage anywhere. Beach erosion was very heavy and that is bad enough. The wind driven ocean spread sand all over everywhere. Some of it ended up in huge piles on the roads and boardwalks. Even more was carried out to form wider beaches that are dotted with shells now.

So now the clean up begins. Front end loaders are busy scraping the sand off of the roads and boardwalks. Thankfully, that's about all that needs to be done. In a week or less it will all be cleaned up. The officials really don't want people on the beach, but that isn't stopping anybody. Crowds of people came down on Sunday to see how we made out and they all wanted to get on the beach. Who can blame them? It's fun walking on the beach hunting for shells.

The worst thing that happened to my properties was lost limbs from the Black Walnut tree. It's a very old tree. We plan to cut it down sometime this winter. I've known it needed to go for several years, but oh do I hate to lose it. It's been there as long as I can remember. I have pictures of the house when it was just a small tree. When I was little, one of my fall jobs was to beat the squirrels to the nuts. Although the squirrels got their fair share, I've managed to pick up big baskets full of nuts. After I collected them, I would watch my grandfather shell them. That's not an easy job. They are very hard. He used to bust them with a hammer, then pick the meat out.

Maryland Black Walnut Cake was my father's favorite cake. Mom mom always made one for his birthday. Yum!!!!! I haven't had one in a very long time, but I think I will make one for Thanksgiving. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water! For Christmas, Mom mom made big batches of cookies with those nuts. They were so good we ate them almost as fast as she baked them.

Aaaand, so the excitment is over and life is back to normal - for now!

Today's pictures of beach errosion . . . .

I don't have time to drive around to Rehoboth today, so all of these pictures are taken at Bethany Beach. I wish I could make the pictures larger as there is so much that doesn't show. There is a lot of beach errosion. The beach replenishment is almost all gone. The first two pictures were taken just off of the main street. The drops are straight down and more then 60%of the duneline is gone. The middle picture was taken about a block from route 1. If you look closely the water is almost to the top cross piece on the barricade. Bethany is much lower then Rehoboth. It is not unusual for parts of it to be flooded during a storm, but this is a little much.

The next picture is of an entrance to the beach at Wellington Street. The stuff that looks like mud is actually dirty seafoam. It is slimy and very slippery. I had to walk through it to get the last picture. It is of the south end of the boardwalk. Look closely - the dunes are gone, water is under the boardwalk, and the fence has been thrown all over. That piece sticking up in the air that looks like part of a pier was actually the walkway that took you from the boardwalk to the top of the dune. As you can see, beach errosion has been heavy. It is worse here then in Rehoboth from what I hear.

The good news is the storm is winding down and there has been no significant property damage anywhere that I have heard of. The beach will be back by Spring!!!!!!

Three Day Nor'easter hits. . . .

Hello, everyone!

I took these pictures yesterday.

The one at the top left was taken at the end of Rehoboth Avenue. The fencing that you see is blocking off where they are replacing the boardwalk. It is not there because of the storm. Believe it or not, they are taking out the concrete to replace it with boards. The concrete was in very good shape and would have lasted way longer then the boards it will be replaced by. GRRRRR!! Such a waste of taxpayer money!

The next two pictures were taken at the point just past the Henlopen Hotel in North Rehoboth. It is not far from my homes. The water was already up to the bulkhead that protects the road. The spindrift was flying like snow. There was so much traffic that I had to wait in line to even get up to the bulkhead. It sorta reminded me of going through the drivethru at McDonalds at lunch time. I didn't even try to get out of the car, the winds were just too strong. We have had gusts of up to 70 miles an hour over the past 48 hours. By this time I am sure that the ocean has breached the area at the next hightide.

The last picture really doesn't need much explanation. Yup, Dolle's was open aaaaand there were actually people buying popcorn. I am sorry they didn't show up in the photo.

This is the worst storm to hit our area in a long time. When I went to Rehoboth yesterday, route 1 was still passable. Several hours after I got back home, the ocean broke through the dunes just north of the inlet. They had to close the road from Bethany Beach to Rehoboth Beach; it remains closed at this time. I will now have to drive around the backbay to get there. Fortunately, my God son is staying at one of my beach houses, so he is taking care of everything for me. It's a relief knowing that he is there. So far, I haven't had any major damage. There were several limbs from the walnut tree down and there are several leaks in the older house. Of course, considering how strong the wind has been, it is no wonder.

We still have flood warnings out until this evening and the entire county is under a State of Emergency. Our EMS are busy rescuing people that are stranded by the flood waters. Rehoboth isn't affected by flood waters. It was built on high ground. Dewey Beach, Lewes Beach, Bethany Beach and the backbay areas are all affected. Most of the rescues, have taken place in the Long Neck/Oak Orchard areas.

As I write this, I am sitting on my porch watching the rain and the wind. Later, I will try to get down to the boardwalk in Bethany Beach for more pictures.

Shopping and the beach. . . .

The weather has been just wonderful this past week. During the day the sun is so bright and warm; there is hardly a cloud in the sky. It's so warm, you hardly need a sweater! I am still wearing shorts and flip flops during the day! The evenings have been so balmy that the boardwalk is still frequented by a good number of people. In fact, everyone is so thrilled with the mild weather that the atmosphere is quite festive.

I am still enjoying the beach. The sandpipers are back. They are so much fun to watch as they dart to and fro as the waves flow in and out.

Personally, I would like some cooler weather. My winter walking gear is all ready! Thanksgiving and Christmas are fast approaching, but I just can't get in the mood with all of this warm weather. At this rate, they will slip up on me and I will be in a mad dash to get ready. Sorry, but housework is just not high on my priority list when the weather is this nice.

Friday, I went to the outlets! My grandsons were in need of new jeans. Of course, the stores are crowded. They have tons of buses pulling in there everyday. They have had as many as 70 buses in one day there. Can you believe? I guess it's the "no sales tax" thing.

Of course, I have my favorite stores. Lately, I am having great luck at Osh'Kosh for the grandsons. Great buys there! I had recieved an e-mail coupon for 20% off of my entire purchase. I spent over $100.00, so I got a card that gives me $10 off my next purchase and another 20% off coupon. Whoppeee! For myself, I love Coldwater Creek. I bought $80 jeans there for $9.99. What a buy!!!! For gifts, I love Kirkland's. My son likes Tommy H.,, I can't say I have found really good deals there though.