Sand and Wind

Since Mother Nature refuses to release winter on us here in Northwest PA I figured I'd break out a couple pictures of two of her more destructive partners: Sand and Wind.

This shot was just a couple of weeks ago near what locals would call "Kite Beach" on Presque Isle.  It's actually a turn off just before the official parking spot for Beach Ten.  The wind was pulling just perfectly across the beach and this picture captures these little wisps of sand across the surface.  Seemed like something from the desert southwest, where a dust devil would just spring up, and carve a path across the beach.  I also like this pic because it's a rare angle to capture the lake without the giant rock break walls.  Break walls are a necessity to be sure, however their military precision down the length of Presque Isle, just can't help but to break up the natural beauty.

Several weeks back Hurricane Sandy ravaged the east coast, and reminents of her wind and rain graced us for a couple hours.  My oldest, Robert, had school cancelled so we took a drive to see how the Mile Creeks were flowing.  The Mile Creeks are all the creeks east of the city.  Apparently the Polish and German immigrants that developed the area, felt fancy names were unnecessary, so we are left with 4 Mile Creek, 6 Mile Creek, 8 Mile Creek, 12 Mile Creek and 20 Mile Creek.  Named for their distance from the city.  Leave it to the practical northern Europeans!

This picture captures the scouring effect the rushing water had on the bank of the creek.  Of course the polished stones are always fascinating to dig through.  Within about 20 feet I uncovered a piece of white beach glass and a nice sized piece of green beach glass that morning.  Of course Robert quickly realized if you stomped your foot close enough to the edge, the bank would cave in and you'd be left standing on the new bank.  So it took about 15 minutes to knockdown about 30 feet of under cut bank.  Shortly after that the rock throwing started.  No one was fishing that day anyway, so letting Robert bask in the big splashes he could make was priceless.

He definitely thought that was just the best thing ever.

Happy Exploring,
Scott M