Gone are the dog days of swimmers and lifeguard chairs, bikinis and volleyballs, boogie-boarders and ice cream cones, and breezes carrying scents of Coppertone and saltwater. Out with the beach crowds; in with hints at desolation as winter nears. The sun and seagulls, though, are constants, as are the sights and symphonies of waves crashing into jetties. On a recent nippy November morning there, I spotted some wetsuit-clad surfers out at sea, and a few bundled-up boardwalk- and shoreline-goers crossed my path. Sands drifted, shadows were cast, tire tracks left behind like summer.
