so the beach is still there. we're still here, minus a few neighborhood trees. things got churned up quite a bit over the past week but the storm has long passed and life is settling back in. we feel very lucky. our power remained on, our clean-up remained minimal and now we are finally breathing slower... deeper... and enjoying some of the last-minute pre-storm 'just-in-case' preparations — like cooking up the very large bunch of kale that chuck rescued from the garden as the rains started to fall... snacking on lots of peanut butter and crackers... and turning the random can of wild salmon into salmon cakes for a quick and easy dinner. margaret has been endlessly busy with all the freshly fallen twigs — her bow and arrow creation being her favorite. yes, this storm really did create a stir. and it is nice to be moving forward now, into september... one sandy, beachy step after another.