“Mother Nature brings it and Mother Nature takes it,” Schintzius said of the vast amount of sand that Lake Erie has swallowed from the Hanford Bay beaches, a phenomenon observed only recently after most of the ice melted away after a long, snowy winter.

As Schintzius surveyed the beach, he repeated the phrase again and again, indicating to place after place: “That used to be covered with sand.”

Anywhere from 4 to 8 feet of sand has been removed by the lake, exposing never before seen slabs of concrete borders and walkways, giving the beach the appearance of an archeological dig of some lost civilization. Also, while the lake stole away the sand, it spit up a nearly unprecedented amount of trunks, trees and branches. Their sand-colored corpses litter the shoreline, waiting to be chainsawed and taken away by area residents for firewood.

Some of the wood will be saved for July 4th bonfires, Schintzius explained, a famous ritual among Hanford and Sunset Bay residents and vacationers.

OBSERVER Photos by Damian Sebouhian: Pictured above are debris of tree trunks washed up on the shores of Hanford Bay.

The sand that bordered what’s called Halfway Brook, allowing for easy locomotion from bay to bay, has all been swept into the lake.

“There was sand here,” Schintzius repeated like a disappointing mantra. “Normally you could walk to Sunset Bay. You could walk there without getting wet, other than walking across this little stream.”

Now, you’d have to swim.

Schintzius said the unpredictable outcomes of every spring are all part of the moody nature of the lake, characterized by the stormy behavior known as surges and seiches.

According to Michigan State University a “A storm surge or wind set-up consists of high sustained winds from one direction that push the water level up at one end of the lake and make the level drop by a corresponding amount at the opposite end.

OBSERVER Photos by Damian Sebouhian: Pictured above are debris of tree trunks washed up on the shores of Hanford Bay.

“When combined with dramatic changes in atmospheric pressure or a sudden drop in the wind speed, storm surges soon produce a seiche.”

Seiche is a French word defined as “a standing wave that oscillates in a lake as a result of seismic or atmospheric disturbances creating huge fluctuations of water levels in just moments.”

Such conditions can result in odd microclimate situations as exemplified in the stark differences in the two neighboring bays. While in Hanford Bay, the sand has been subtracted substantially, just a few hundred feet along the shore, Sunset Bay’s sand was typically overabundant.

Kelly Borrello, new owner of Cabana Sam’s, was preparing for the season like many in Sunset Bay do during this time of the year, hauling 8-to-18 foot high sand drifts out of parking lots and driveways.

Both areas have been inundated with huge quantities of driftwood.

Sand drifts in Sunset Bay look remarkably similar to snow drifts blocking driveways.

“It was a rough winter,” Borrello said. “We had a lot more debris on the beach, a lot more trees, so it’s been a long clean-up and with mother nature not bringing spring, it’s been a slow cleanup.”

Borrello’s comment about the most reluctant of Western New York seasons was reminiscent of a famous Paul Fleishchman quip: “You can’t see Canada across Lake Erie, but you know it’s there. It’s the same with spring. You have to have faith…”

Despite the lack of sand in one area and the too much sand in other areas and the overwhelming amount of debris all over the place, both Borrello and Schintzius voiced their optimism for the season ahead.

“At Sunset Bay Beach Club we’re putting in an adult game room with a pool table, a couple dart boards and a basketball game,” Borrello said. “At Cabana Sam’s, we’re putting in awning over the Captain’s Deck for dining and parties”

Cabana Sam’s opens May 10, Sunset Beach Club opens May 25 and Sunset Bay Deli will be opening up on May 17.

Clearing sand at Sunset Bay Club’s parking lot. The club is scheduled to open on May 25.

Schintzius, who is on a mission to increase the tourist presence of the area, spoke highly of the excellent fishing options.

“We have the best steelhead fishing in the United States,” Schintzius boasted. “I was at a State of the Lake meeting a couple of weeks ago and this is what the guy is saying. We’re the best in the U.S. People come from all over the world to fish here. That’s why we need a hotel, so people can have a place to stay.”

A tractor smoothes out the sand at Sunset Bay.