The waters have receded from Compo Beach. So have the crowds.
What remains is incredible to see.
Here, for example, is the seawall along Soundview Drive:
I’d heard stories of how, years ago, the wall was much higher — and the beach much lower.
Now, thanks to Irene’s fury, we can actually see how high it once was. Many more steps have been uncovered, along with concrete footings buried for decades.
And we can understand that, when it was built, the seawall was actually a “breakwater” — not the ramp it turned into, rocketing water and sand over the top, past Soundview and onto the roads and homes beyond.
Meanwhile, over on Bradley Street — and in much of the neighborhood — the scene looks like this:
In a matter of hours saltwater killed grass, plants and leaves. Lawns and yards look like it’s mid-October (without the color) — not early September.
Longtime residents say the greenery will return next spring.
That’s many months from now. This fall, Compo’s usual fantastic foliage will bear a distinctly different hue.