We certainly didn’t want the unfortunate and tragic flooding that Hermine dumped on other states but a little moisture would be welcome in our official Extreme Drought seacoast area of New Hampshire. We are 5 miles from the coast and Hermine brought us a drizzle and drip yesterday and today. Beneath the damp mulch in the garden, the soil is bone dry. Buckets are lined up catching all roof drips outside today with a mist so fine you can feel it but not see it.

Being declared an Extreme Drought area means no watering of anything in the landscape from the city’s water supply or from private wells. In New Hampshire, there are more than 100 communities with mandatory water restrictions. 19% or more of New Hampshire is in a Severe Drought and we are part of the 4% in an Extreme Drought. Thankfully, growers in ten counties are eligible for natural disaster assistance. Yes, we are in a bad way. We’re using gray water from showers and water made by the basement dehumidifier to help keep our 3 new trees alive. And sad to say, there’s no relief in the immediate future…

That said, there are those who took advantage of Hermine’s big blow. New Hampshire was spared the extreme high winds of this tropical storm but we drove over to the coast to check out what effect the storm had on this part of the ocean. Hampton Beach was closed on Tuesday as winds were brisk enough to cause rip tides. The next day, on this Wednesday, mist from the sea hung in the air like a gray fog. We could taste the salt. All along the coast people were standing, sitting, walking and enjoying the view of the choppy Atlantic surf.

It was low tide but waves rolled in, crashing onto the rocky shores.

And, naturally, there were those who were thrilled to see high surf. We watched as a dozen or more brave surfers waited with their boards on the surface of the water, then standing to catch wave after wave after wave. Can they see all those rocks?  Yikes!

Click photos to enlarge