Weather can change in a hurry around here!
Aly took photos from the garden, about 10 feet above the water.
We had a good night and day of battery charging yesterday, but the wind slacked off in the evening. The weather forecast predicted 30 knots from the north, switching to 25 knots from the southeast late. We decided to brake the wind generator through the night, to avoid useless overcharging and noise.
I got up to go outside briefly at 4:30 a.m. this morning. I saw that the wind charger still pointed north, and stood still. So much for accuracy in prediction. I turned off the brake, in case we got a bit of a breeze, and returned to bed.
I went out again at 7:00 a.m. The generator had swung around to the southeast. I watched it start up in a developing southerly from a stand still. I went on to the outhouse, and listened to the weather forecast while I was there. It called for a 40 knot gale to develop through the morning. As I sat there I could hear it winding up! I raced through my business and ran to hit the brake.
I made it just in time, as the gale reached full force within 10 minutes! Within a short time, the weather forecast revised the 40 knot winds to 50 knots, with 10 foot seas.
Now, as I write this, waves slam against the cliff out front. It thunders as if someone were throwing sheet metal around! Spray dashes up the beach, trees are whipping back and forth, and a few flakes of snow sweep sideways by the window every now and then. It’s as good a day as any to hunker down.
Luckily, Aly made gingerbread cookies yesterday. I have a small plate of them and a cup of coffee beside me as I blog. Life is good!
Which doesn’t mean we’ll be housebound all day. We’re still making Christmas gifts that need to be finished in time to convert the guest house from a workshop back to its original purpose.