By Charles Layton and Paul Goldfinger.   Editors:   Blogfinger.net.  August 2012.

Ocean Grove becomes transformed late at night. Another side of the town’s beauty — at once calmer and more dramatic — emerges.

Streets, porches, vegetation and storefront displays turn ghostly and mysterious. Over on the Asbury side, some of the murals on the Casino (like the one above) become downright scary.

The contrasts of encompassing darkness, silvery moon and spots of artificial light point up architectural features that are less obvious in the brassy light of the day. Sounds strike the ear differently; the ocean surf suggests the breathing of some giant, sleeping thing.

As humans withdraw from view, wild creatures begin to roam noiselessly – a rabbit grazing on a darkened lawn, a possum scuttling in the shadow of a curb. Walking through town at midnight, one is surrounded by a world filled with secrets.

In an effort to convey that feeling, we offer a multimedia show: a collection of nocturnal photos © by Paul Goldfinger and a musical performance by Ben Webster on tenor sax, Oscar Peterson on piano and Ray Brown on bass. (The tune is In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.)

To enjoy this sight/sound combination, click on the audio arrow below. Then, as the music plays, put your cursor on the photo slide show and use the tool that appears to freeze a frame in place or to move forward or backward from one photo to another. — Charles Layton

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