There are certain places in nature that seem to exist in the realm of the surreal. Here, colors are purer, proportions are fantastical, and tones appear to vibrate against one another in a way that fills the inanimate with life. So close are these places to another world that often we forget—they are not impervious to the destruction caused by our own. Many people who, in reverence of one such place, built their lives in proximity to it, lost everything to Hurricane Sandy, and were left with only ruins of what had been home. Although her devastation affected the human aspect of the Shore irreparably, somehow, the inherent beauty and ethereality possessed by the place where sand and water touch a vast expanse of sky remains intact. It surrounds the damage with an overwhelming sense of peace, and reminds us of the promise that the Shore will always be beautiful.



sxb5502@psu.edu