The ocean is magnetic - you get Nate within range and the flip-flops come off and he’s in it.

We went out to Brigantine, the nearest island (sort of - to actually get onto it we have to drive through Atlantic City, which is on Absecon Island) for a new Friday night “Art Walk” they’re getting started. First we tried a sushi place for dinner. A thing we’ve noticed, that I recall from Indiana but not so much Kansas: Chinese (and here, Japanese) restaurants start you off with wonton strips and duck sauce, which Carl has dubbed “Chinese nachos.”

The art market will rotate through three locations. One of them is the seawall - the closest thing Brig has to a boardwalk. That’s one of Atlantic City’s derelict casinos off in the distance.

The seawall ends at the north part of Brigantine-the-city, and the northern two-and-a-half miles of the island is federal parkland. That’s the birding observation deck that marks the north city limits.

Carl hadn’t been up to it, so we stopped in briefly though the sun was setting and it was getting chilly. Even on the East Coast, if you find the right spot you can watch the sun set over the water.