I've spent very little of my life in coastal areas besides my family's infrequent reunions at the beach; though it used to be yearly, it's been about once or twice a decade for some time now. As such, the only thing I have to add to this is that one of my strongest memories of those trips is of a gull. An ornery old thing, it had only one leg, but was as mean as I'll get out. The thing was known up and down the strand for its ruthless ways, and was the thing of lore among local kids for a few years. I suspect he has long since passed on.