Magnet (2-3/4" x 5") Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York City  

I took this photograph at Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York City the summer of 2012. We spent our summers there as kids, as did my parents  grandparents when they were growing up. 

My grandfather taught me how to ride my first wave at Rockaway and my love of the ocean was born here. It holds a very special place in my heart.

Little did I know I'd be capturing what would be one of the last images of this beautiful boardwalk and beach. October 2012 witnessed the arrival of Super Storm Sandy which washed away the boardwalk and changed the structure of Rockaway Beach forever.