SANDY AFTERMATH

The following morning (Halloween) with the clouds still over the ocean I walked to the end of our street.

Barriers had been put in place over the night.

From our neighbor's deck, above the ruined dune fence, the view of the calm ocean was eerily beautiful.

Out on our bikes, we found the bay water had receded, leaving only broken fences in its place.

We decided to drive north, but before many blocks we were stopped by trucks lined up to remove sand from road - the new location of sand dredged out of the ocean by the Corps of Army Engineers in the beach replenishment the previous year.

Failing in that, we decided to check out the Surf City Yacht Club on 9th Street.

Though the Optis tucked under the deck on racks were safe, the grounds were a mess, and the "I dock" was gone.

Adjacent houses had wreckage in their yards, siding missing and boats off their trailers.

The street likewise was a mess of sand and debris.

This house was trying to return to its earlier red color.

Driving home I decided to take a short walk on the beach near our home. This walkway was no longer of use to anyone.

This is what remained of the beach replenishment at the the end of our street. The mass of dune fence was where I had photographed the ocean earlier in the day.

It was low tide, the beach was wide, flat, and unmarred. A beautiful scene.

But when climbing up to the street, the view reminded one of what had recently occurred.