Sunday was a wild weather day. In the morning it snowed north and south of Seattle. The snow skipped us in the city due to the Olympic rainshadow. In the afternoon the clouds cleared out, but the wind was howling down from the northwest.

I decided that the unexpected opportunity was too good to pass up, so I headed up to Edmonds with my camera two hours before sunset.

It was cold. The ambient temp was about 37 degrees (3 C), which isn’t that bad, but with the wind blasting off the water, hoo baby! I was bundled up in two shirts, two jackets, and two hats, but like an idiot, I didn’t think to wear long johns under my pants. My legs quickly became Popsicles. (I was back home for two hours before they completely thawed again.)

First I stopped in at the Senior Center parking lot because it’s right at the edge of the beach and the tide was coming in. It’s usually the tamest Edmonds beach because it’s partially sheltered by the ferry terminal on one side and the marina breakwater on the other. But the wind direction was perfect and waves were crashing in like crazy.

It was exhilarating! And cold!

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After snapping tons of photos I decided to go check out Marina Beach as well. The waves weren’t as close there, so the experience wasn’t quite as visceral, but the rows of breakers rolling in on the shallower seabed were beautiful.

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After being out for about an hour my legs were cold enough to cause hypothermia if I didn’t get somewhere warm soon. I decided to skip sunset, which was still over half an hour away, and instead treated myself to a hot beef stroganoff dinner at the Channel Marker Pub and Grill before heading back home. Yum.

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