Ocean Effect Snow and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yesterday, Sandwich clocked a wind gust at 66 mph. By around 8 p.m., the temperature started going down. The winds did not, however. They were worse than the night before. At times, it seemed as though the back of our house would blow off, or, at the least, something would come crashing through a window. We woke up to a temperature in the teens. It is now 19 degrees.

Last night, the weather forecast called for "ocean effect" snow today in the "Cape and Islands" area -- the Islands being the Elizabeth Islands, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. At around noon, we ventured out in search of salad for Christmas dinner tomorrow. It had been snowing for a bit, but not much was happening by way of accumulation. By the time we got to Hyannis, the snow was coming down at a good clip. Although the streets remained clear, the grassy surfaces were now coated with the white stuff.

As we ventured home, the snow began sticking to the road in earnest. 

Here's what they said about it on the evening news tonight.

By the time we got home, it was coating everything, including the ramp up to the top of the dune where our house is located.

Ski Mountain?

I managed to make it up the ramp and into the house where I began taking pictures of the beautiful impact of this ocean effect snow on our surroundings.

Snow-Covered Beach

Detrital Beach Chair Enjoying the Accumulation

Now, I don't know what it is about Cape Cod snowfalls, but this one is very different from what I was used to in New Jersey. There, unless it's a blizzard, the snow falls in a relatively orderly fashion. Today, on the Cape, it was crazy. The flakes fell without pattern. They tumbled, swirled, and seemed to chase each other back and forth like children on a playground. It's a wonder that any of them made it to the ground. 

After TSO and I settled in, we turned to the task of the day, baking my Nana's chocolate chip cookies to take to our grandchildren tomorrow morning, along with the chocolate and sprinkle covered pretezels we made the other day.

Before

We eeked out quite a few of these babies. We mistakenly purchased mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, so the cookies are really rich with chocolate.

After

Time will tell whether the next generation will appreciate these goodies as much as the current and previous generations (shout out to Uncle Georgie!) do.