Winter really has returned to Venice Beach. I mean, we're talking snow in places like Glendale and La Crescenta for God's sake! They said there was even a chance that there would be snow for the first time in 50 years in downtown Los Angeles. That did not happen. But winter bit and we felt her bite over the past few days.
By yesterday, though, Alma's back had improved along with the weather, so we decided to try a walk at Venice Beach. Even though the rains and snow had gone, there were still scattered cumulous clouds in the sky. But what stood out yesterday was the strong and sustained winds. I would estimate those winds were blowing at 30-40 miles per hour steadily. The winds were not particularly gusty but they were strong and sustained out of the north-northwest.
The ocean made a dull roar of white noise, its volume louder because of the effects of the wind. The strong winds also blew across the sand, creating a thin suspended sheen of sand above the surface of the beach. And I swear there were times when I could hear the hissing of the sand as it blew across the surface of the beach.
As usual, Alma took some awesome photographs. The winds were so strong that they blew one of the garbage cans that punctuate the sand over onto its side.
The winds blew so sustained that they created windrows in the sand.
Because the winds blew out of the west-northwest, we had the wind somewhat at our backs during the first leg of our walk southward to the Villa Marina jetty. When we reached the jetty and turned to walk northward back to the Washington Blvd. pier, we were walking somewhat more directly into the winds. Such that, by the time we were halfway back to the pier, we decided to cut our walk short by a third and only walked two miles yesterday.
Today the skies are completely clear and the winds seem to have died down. So we shall take our full 3-mile walk today. I can't wait.
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