In 2012 as Hurricane Sandy roared through NY and NJ causing destruction and devastation in its wake, it also roared through Ocean City, NJ, knocking down century old summer cottages off their foundations, swamping the quant downtown under two feet of water, and gave the iconic 59th St. pier its final blow.

In better days I witnessed miles of the most perfect shell sand, clean and white as snow, The waves gently lapping at the pier and the rocks. Dunes held firm against the winds by the beach grass. If you were lucky enough to be among the many people who made the pilgrimage to see the pier, (or the remains of it) you would expect to be part of a group of photographers, both pros and amateurs who, even in the winter would flock like seagulls, jockeying for position before sunrise to capture that perfect image. For me the religious undertones were strong.