The basement reveal was the exact moment the plot lost me.

Wow, I was a fan until that.

Seriously, that's a cool find. I hit something similar in my attic last year, ended up with a box of ration coupons. Try the local historical society first; they usually have old maps and photos for free. Also, search online for scanned city directories from the 1920s, they're often put up by libraries.

Ever check if any rivers feed into your dive site further up the coast? A bunch of rain miles away can push out a huge plume of dirty water that takes hours to reach you. The beach right in front of you might look totally clear, but you can get hit by a wall of junk flowing from the side. I got caught once because I only watched the water straight out, not what was coming down the shoreline.

Oh man, we once just gave up and started listing the worst movie adaptations ever. Arguing about a book's tone is nothing compared to the united rage over a bad film, lol. It totally reset the mood.