They call it Black Friday.Humans stampede through parking lots and plazas, hunting shiny boxes and blinking screens.But down at the shore?We call it The Quiet Day. Most years, it’s just me – Sal the Seagull – circling above empty beaches, riding the wind like a king with no subjects.No fries.No crumbs.No half-eaten rolls.Just sand, sky, … Read more
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Explore a whimsical Thanksgiving on Gilligan’s Island and discover what the castaways can be thankful for, even when stranded and far from home.
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A sonnet dedicated to the shore on the Sunday before Thanksgiving – expressing gratitude for the beach, beach food, and the quiet peace that comes with both. And yes, a little love for the lobster roll over turkey.
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The shore is both a giver and a taker. On this Flotsam Friday, we reflect on the things we lose – and the things we find. A boogie board, a piece of love, and the beach’s endless rhythm of loss and recovery.
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When the last umbrellas close and the gulls reclaim the boardwalk, the beach exhales. What’s left behind isn’t just sea glass and shells – it’s memory. Footprints that once hurried toward the waves have been washed smooth, and the air hums with a quieter kind of music. There’s a peace to the off-season that summer … Read more
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The gulls cry softer now – their echoes thin,As tides sweep summer’s laughter out to sea.The boardwalk slumbers, sand turns cold and clean,And autumn drifts its amber elegy. The dunes wear crowns of brittle, golden flame,Each leaf a whisper from a vanished tree.They gather on the tide like thoughts untamed,Then scatter, wild and weightless, endlessly. … Read more
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Every October, when the nights grow long and the tide whispers secrets to the dunes, the locals start telling the story of The Last Watch – the lifeguard who never left his post. He was just a kid, really. Seventeen, sunburned, proud, and built of saltwater and dreams. They say he could sprint from tower … Read more
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They say you can’t find real help on the boardwalk. But that’s because they haven’t met Dr. Cliff. Dr. Cliff is a seagull – rotund, salt-streaked, and at least 17 years old if the rumors are true. He’s lived through four hurricanes, a dozen mayors, and the Great Funnel Cake Fire of 2011. He knows … Read more
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Another storm is spinning in the Caribbean – this one named Melissa.By the time she brushes Jamaica and bends north, the waves she stirs will be reaching all of us. And that’s the truth about the sea: nothing happens in isolation. A gust in the tropics becomes a ripple off the coast, and that ripple … Read more
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When the beach begins to vanish, so does our illusion of permanence. 🌊 The News Ocean City, NJ has declared a state of emergency after the nor’easter that hit nearly two weeks ago tore into the shoreline, washing away dunes and swallowing huge portions of beach between 1st and 13th Streets. Mayor Jay Gillian shared … Read more
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