Our friend and neighbour Paul Knettig took these photos from below his house just before Christmas when we had another one of those wild windstorms that like to lash us throughout the winter on Vancouver Island. The road on this narrow spit leads to a wider piece of land that has a military base on it. It serves as a cadet camp in the summer time but is maintained year round. It is important to them to keep the road passable, but on occasion, extra high tides and strong winds combine to make a storm surge that overflows the road. Last week parts of the road were looking a bit dicey as you can see from the photos.
Goose Spit road
Not a good day for a swim
Driftwood floating and tossed around
In the photo above, see the kite surfer on the upper right corner? Brave or foolish? Regardless, they had fun.
Churning waters
Spilling onto the walkway
Shower anyone?
You may think that the photo that follows is out of place. Well, it is, in a way. After this wild windy weather and tons of rain, it looked as if Christmas Day would be a dreary affair this year. But what a surprise we had when it started to snow and kept on snowing all morning.
The photo below was taken by me and is by no means of the quality of Paul’s photos (above), but I wanted to show the contrast of the weather, and how it changed in a very short time.
Christmas morning
By early afternoon it was raining again and all the snow was gone by evening. That suited us fine because although the snow is pretty to look at, it’s not much fun to drive in. But at least it turned out to be a perfect Christmas Day.
What will the future bring us? More of the everchanging sameness, I’m sure. Wind , then rain, followed by rain, then wind. A little snow squall in between.
Snow on Christmas morning. Sounds wonderful.
It was perfect because it didn’t stay and the little birds didn’t suffer, nor did traffic.
Hey..you got our “expected” White Christmas/ which never happened.
Love the surf and wild Ocean photos..it reminded me of Sea Ranch and how we loved to walk the bluffs when the Ocean was roaring.
Nothing like big surf when you’re safe on shore.
The snow is so pretty. The wild wind and water storms – not so much, but awesome in showing off the power of nature.
Thanks for visiting, Darlene. Good body boarding here, but a bit chilly. And then there are those logs….
Wow! I had forgotten the beauty of a storm on the coast! Beautiful shots! Glad you got at least a little snow.
Thanks. My friend Paul who took these photos has a lot more skill with the camera than I do. It’s one of my goals to get a better camera and learn how to use it. And you’re right, these storms are impressive when you can take the time to admire them and not think about the power outages that often come with them. The snow was a nice touch just for Christmas morning.
Okay this might be a silly question but do people actually swim in those waters?
In the summertime, yes. It’s a popular beach. Also on either Boxing Day or New Year’s Day they have the polar bear swim for fools who want to jump into the icy water for a few seconds to prove… I don’t know what.
After looking at the storm pictures it felt so good and peaceful to look at the snow pictures. We had to deal with rain on Christmas.
It was unusual to have a bit of snow on Christmas Day. Nice for a short time.
I live by the sea too and walking along the beach, wind blowing and the waves crashing is in my top 5 list of favourite things to do, especially in winter. Great photos.
It’s great to live by the water, isn’t it? I’d miss it if I ever moved inland.
Cool photos. Is it common for Vancouver to get snow? If I ever get the courage to get on a plane again, Vancouver is my first stop. It looks so beautiful there, at least in the summer time or fall.
Not really. Vancouver might get a dump or two through the winter but normally it’s rain and wind. Vancouver is a nice city, as cities go. We live on Vancouver Island, across the water from Vancouver, so we don’t get the big city bustle as much. If you ever come to Vancouver in the winter bring an umbrella.
Great shots. Who said you had only one skill?
I wish I could take credit for the photos, but they were taken by a friend, whom I mentioned at the beginning of the post. But it’s one of my goals to get a better camera and take better pictures. I love to see great photography, so it’s something to strive for.
Hard to imagine how I missed your photo credits in line 1 but I did. My apologies. With your talent, it’s only a matter of time.
Easily done.Well, it’s only a matter of time and a better camera. I’ve put my wish in for the next gift buying occasion.
Amazing wild weather!! So dramatic! Did these photos inspire any thoughts about another book?
They’ll make the perfect background for the sequel of The Wind Weeps. Thanks for visiting, Suzanne.
Awesome waves and photos also. Your snow photo was very impressive.
There were huge snowflakes that day but I think that was because it was relatively warm, and also why it didn’t last too long. Thanks for stopping by, Matti.
That was some weather. I agree with you: snow is pretty, and bad for driving. I get used to it, sort of. Happy New Year, Anneli!
This is exactly our problem here. We don’t get snow often enough for people to learn how to drive in it very well. We have TERRIBLE drivers when it snows! Best to stay home and wait for rain. But you can’t do that in a country where the snow stays all winter. I wish you all the best for the New Year, Bente. Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog. “See you” next year.
What a pretty sight to wake up to on Christmas morning! I wish our snow melted as quickly as yours did though.
It will look pretty a bit longer in Alaska. All the best for the new year, and thanks for visiting. See you on our blogs next year!
Very nice to have snow for Christmas. Have a Happy New Year!
Thanks Meg. It’s all gone now, but it was here when it mattered. All the best to you too for the new year.
Finally had time to play catch up on your stories. I so enjoyed reading them and the pictures are always so perfect . I think you always better and already great talent. Thank you for sharing it.
I’m so glad you were able to find time for my blog, Lark. Always nice to hear from you.