The beach angel

I took this picture in June of 2011

I loved this statue.

I thought of her as a guardian angel, watching over me, especially when I was on the beach alone for sunrise. 

After Sandy destroyed something like 80% of the homes in  Mantoloking, I hoped they had brought her in.  

When I saw the house amazingly survived, my hopes skyrocketed that my guardian angel had survived.

I'm not a very ballsy person. 

Back when I was 11, we had a house fire & I remember how upset my mother was by the "circus" in front of our house.  Because of that I never got into shooting peoples misery.  I took a few shots of businesses that had been destroyed, but that even bothered me, I wasn't going to take pictures of people homes.

But I put a 5x7 of this photo in my glove box with the intent on giving it to the owners if I ever saw them outside.

I haven't set foot on the beach in Mantoloking since October 26th or 27th, but every time I drive by this house I look to see if anyone is outside.

Today there was a guy outside and I figured what the heck, and I stopped.

I was sad to learn that the angel did not survive. 

I was even more saddened to learn that the spot were the angel lived was where the ashes of their son & daughter were buried.

I gave him the copy of the picture and my condolences.  

It's the stories like this that make Sandy suck even more all over again. 

Saturday at the Jersey Shore

So we're still without power.  But we're doing ok.

The Governor just said in a news conference that over 50% of the homes in Mantoloking have been destroyed.  Ok I don't have a home in Mantoloking & my heart goes out to those who do have a beach house or a home on the barrier island - but I'm so sad my beach is destroyed.

Have you see this picture?

That's the bridge from Brick into Mantoloking & it's the way I drove to get to the beach.

Sigh

Ok went up to Point Pleasant to do some Beach Writings today & here are some pictures I wanted to share.

Mini golf at the south end of the boardwalk

looking back from the beach

Random piece of debris

Looking back at the boardwalk

That's my older son

Martells Tiki Bar in the distance. No idea of it's condition.

This is a street. 

Patrolling the beach.

Point was hit, but from the pictures I've seen of other places, it's not as bad there.  It looks like it snowed sand there and then got terribly flooded.  No power & lots of lines down.

We will rebuild, no bitch named Sandy is going to get the better of a Jersey Girl (or guy)