Photo Essay by Owen Hynes
When the leaves begin to fall and the air gets colder, many renters and summer residents of the Delaware beach town metropolitan area pack up their bathing suits, umbrellas and other belongings in order to head back to their permanent homes for the fall and winter months.
However, for some, the towns of Rehoboth, Dewey and Bethany Beach, are their permanent homes year-around.
These photographs below showcase the lives and personalities of those permanent residents and their bustling summer beach towns during the slow, cold offseason.
Small groups of people walk along the sand in Bethany Beach, Del., Friday Nov. 29, 2019. Usually, scattered with umbrellas and beach goers during the summer, the beaches in Bethany and the rest of the Delaware beach town metropolitan area normally slow down and see a lot less people as winter kicks into gear and the weather gets colder. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
The sun shines on Bethany Surf Shop as various people walk up and down Garfield Parkway, the town’s main strip of retail stores, in Bethany Beach, Del., Friday Nov. 29, 2019. Since 1980, Bethany Surf Shop has been satisfying the town residents and tourists’ surfing, bodyboarding, skimboarding and stand-up-paddle boarding needs. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
A sign that reads, “Thanks for a great season. Hope to see you next April,” is posted on the window of Shades at the Beach, a popular sunglasses store, in Bethany Beach, Del., Friday Nov. 29, 2019. Many stores do not see it as a viable option to remain open year-round due to the little business that Bethany and the rest of the Delaware beach town metropolitan area traditionally gets during the offseason. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
A man walks down the beach by himself during the afternoon in Bethany Beach, Del., Friday Nov. 29, 2019. Instead of displaying a crowded beach as the town’s typically do during their summer months, the beach in Bethany and the other beaches in the Delaware beach town metropolitan area, appear eerily and unusually vast in the winter. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
A sign that reads, “Keep Off Dunes,” is posted near the boardwalk entrance to the beach in Bethany Beach, Del., Friday Nov. 29, 2019. The town protects and maintains these sand dunes in order to absorb the impact and shield inland areas from high energy storms. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
Ben Price, a permanent, year-round resident of Bethany Beach, Del., attempts to air out of the skate bowl as his girlfriend, Grace Sabo, watches on, at Epworth Skate Park in Rehoboth Beach, Del., Saturday Nov. 30, 2019. “I broke two of my ribs here [at Epworth] at the beginning of November, so it means a lot to see Grace, and my other friends who come sometimes, braving the cold and giving me a little support…that way I can get my health back to normal.” (Photo by Owen Hynes)
Taking a short break from skating, Ben Price sits and smiles on one of the ledges at Epworth Skate Park in Rehoboth Beach, Del., Saturday Nov. 30, 2019. Price said that he can almost always be found at Epworth and that since its opening in 2014, the park has acted as a winter haven for skateboards like him who permanently reside in the Delaware beach town metropolitan area. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
A man walks his dog in front of a closed and locked up Thrasher’s French Fries, a popular spot for quick food and boardwalk fries in the summer, on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Del., Saturday Nov. 30, 2019. During the summer, the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach is one of the most frequently-visited places in the Delaware beach town metropolitan area; however, in the offseason, a lot of the boardwalk’s shops and restaurants temporarily close down due to the lack of foot traffic and business. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
A worker at Rehoboth Toy & Kite Company, located on Rehoboth Avenue, captures the attention of a child as he blows bubbles outside of the store in Rehoboth Beach, Del., Saturday Nov. 30, 2019. Although usually very slow in business during the offseason, a range of shoppers came out to visit various stores around the Delaware beach town metropolitan area during Small Business Saturday. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
The sign for northbeach, a popular summer bar and live music venue located along Rehoboth Bay in Dewey Beach, Del., displays no words or advertisements Saturday Nov. 30, 2019 as the bar and venue remains closed during the offseason. A lot of the bars in Dewey Beach take advantage of the small window of business opportunity during the summer and then shut down during the offseason when tourists and non-permanent residents head back to their homes. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
Two men make repairs to the side of Bottle & Cork, a popular summer bar and live music venue located in Dewey Beach, Del., Saturday Nov. 30, 2019. Most of the maintenance and construction in the Delaware beach town metropolitan area gets done during the winter and offseason months, so that business, homes and everything else can be fully operable and ready during the busy and bustling summer. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
The parking lot of Old Inlet Bait & Tackle, located in Delaware Seashore State Park off of Coastal Highway in Rehoboth Beach, Del., is empty Friday Nov. 29, 2019. Since 1962, Old Inlet Bait & Tackle has been serving fishermen across the Delaware beach town metropolitan area year-round. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
Old Inlet Bait & Tackle owner Clark Evans (left) and coworker Neil Baker (right) stand behind the counter of the shop in Rehoboth Beach, Del., Friday Nov. 29, 2019. Evans, who is also the President of the Delaware Mobile Surf Fisherman Club, said that he is fortunate enough to be able to keep his shop open year-round as many local and permanent residents still come in for fishing gear and bait during the winter. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
Emerita, commonly known as mole crabs or sand crabs, are used as a fisherman’s bait along the Indian River Inlet within Delaware Seashore State Park, Saturday Nov. 30, 2019. Year-round, fishermen visit the Indian River Inlet to try and catch a range of the region’s popular fish including rockfish, bluefish, flounder and more. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
A fisherman looks on as he waits for something to bite his line on the rocks along the Indian River Inlet within Delaware Seashore State Park, Saturday Nov. 30, 2019. He explained that although fishing in the summer is more preferable, offseason fishing can be just as enjoyable if you do not mind braving the cold weather. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
A lone fisherman stands at the end of a jetty along the Indian River Inlet within Delaware Seashore State Park, Saturday Nov. 30, 2019. The Indian River Inlet is the mouth of Indian River Bay as the water comes through and flows out into the Atlantic Ocean. (Photo by Owen Hynes)
JOUR370 -Intro to Photojournalism 