Stormy Weather

The high wind and surf advisory was right. Those, they are usually right. And they are surprisingly precise, they know almost down to the hour when it starts and when it ends. I got a new jacket yesterday at REI. To go to the snow (as they say here), so that I don’t freeze to death while Anne-Claire is out running and I don’t start whining “It was so cold” once she’s back.

ANYWAY I packed all of my cameras (I really did) and headed to the beach this morning. The wind had kept us awake most of the night, so I might as well do something useful with it. Redondo Beach did not disappoint.

There were very few people but a lot of birds. Some parts of the beach were actually paved with birds.

I tried calling these birds because it would have been a beautiful group shot, instead of a butt shot, but they did not tern around.

The Topaz Getty, with its iconic lifeguard tower, is one of my favorite landmarks in Redondo Beach. I wish I had not left the 23mm in the car, but I think this image still conveys the way it majestically stands facing the weather. I also really like the Lifeguard trucks.

As I walked back to my car, on the Esplanade, I saw the same birds and they would still not tern. I can’t blame them, the Ocean was nothing short of mesmerizing.

After all, I was not behaving much differently than them, looking out into the Ocean.

My parking meter was nearly expired so it was time to go. Instead of just driving home, I followed my hunch that the Point Vicente lighthouse could be quite the show, and so I headed there. On the negative side, the elements were even more unchained down there. It was wild! But the view was amazing, totally worth getting battered by the raging wind.

At that point, my eyes were full of sand and my hands were starting to feel numb, but most of all I could not find the restrooms at the Interpretive Point, so I just packed everything up, got into my warm car and drove home.

If you liked these photos, you can find them – with many others – in the section of my website dedicated to the landscapes of the South Bay!