This picture was taken about two blocks from my house. It's the First Street Beach Patrol/Lifeguard Station in Ocean City, NJ buried behind a rampart of sand. I featured this building in one of my Charlie Byrne shorts a while back. If any of you have followed the trials and tribulations of my repeating character you might know that at one time (back in his youth) Charlie served on the OCBP, way back before he took up the way of the hapless gumshoe. Not far from this building is Brown's--which serves hot handmade donuts (cinnamon, glazed, and powder sugared) that you can smell from way out in the surf. Anyway, we're battening down the hatches on Saturday. Hoping the colder water temps will rip Sandy's bitch heart out before she arrives early next week, but right now NOAA says that's unlikely. Full moon tides, storm surge, pounding water will not be swayed by mere bulldozed sandcastles. Then again, who can predict chaos? Wish me and mine luck. Onward. (UPDATE) This quote says it all-- "“For those on the coast don’t let the Category of the storm or whether it’s “just” a Nor’easter dictate your response. Your personal memories of previous storms are no use in this unique situation.”