Morning 8-26-11

A few rain bands blew in overnight with some intensity, but overall it was fairly quiet, except for the low, constant roar of a very disturbed ocean, of course.  Intermittent rain this morning as Irene moves north, directly opposite us at about 7 this morning.  Winds starting to shift to north and northwest, cleaning off the faces of incoming waves, still maxing out in the 10-12 foot range.  Some breaking at least a half-mile out.  Quite the sight through the mist and rain, the spray blowing off the tops in long, thin curtains.

Morning Glory Vines

No discernible erosion; high tide again about 6:30 this morning.  Maybe lost a little sand, but nothing like the 12-foot cliff left after Charley in ’04 took out most of the beach.  Looks like the morning glory vines survived.

Birds

A few shore birds out picking through sand and debris this morning.  Nothing much seems to phase them.  They hunker down through the worst, then pick up where they left off.  This is a Black Belly Plover and a Golden Plover, teaming up, I guess.

Easy to stand and watch this scene for long stretches.  It is so powerful and majestic.  Been caught a couple times mesmerized by incoming rain bands, thinking I could beat them back to the house, but its worth a little soaking.  Hurricanes at this distance are fun.  Hoping for the best for folks up the road.