West Gloucester is more marsh than street — tidal creeks winding out toward Wingaersheek and Coffins Beach, pitch pine on the sandy rises, a horizon that changes with the water level. Essex County Outdoors keeps lawns out that way cut and edged, hedges trimmed, beds mulched, and the spring and fall cleanups done so a yard doesn't lose ground to the woods. Seeding and fertilizing help where sand drains faster than grass would like. When the cold sets in, plowing takes over: long sandy drives opened end to end, walkways shoveled, sand and salt at the steps. Out there a cleared driveway is also a lifeline to the main road.