Super Tuesday

Today is "Super Tuesday," and it looks like Joe Biden may be on his way to the Democratic nomination.  He was not my first choice, but he certainly has the experience, and he is a good, decent man.  I watched a clip of him working the crowd in a small diner in Texas where Beto O'Rourke had taken him after pledging his support, and it was really heartwarming to watch him take his time just talking to folks, asking kids what sports they were playing in school, that kind of thing.  I remember one of the late night hosts saying awhile back that "Joe was like a comfortable pair of slippers, and perhaps that's what America needs right now, because our feet are tired!"

Perhaps now we can avoid the urge to turn on the TV or watch cable news on our computers as much as we have, and simply enjoy the experience of being here in this beautiful place.  We both completed a three mile run yesterday, with a couple of short intervals, down to the Fort Macon Picnic Area and then out onto the beach.  It was low tide, the wind had died down, and it was a beautiful morning to be running on this wide, flat beach, waves breaking so gently that it seemed more like a large lake than the Atlantic Ocean.

A landscaping crew has been here off and on for the past week or two, cutting back the clumps of what I think is white pampas grass to encourage new growth.  They also removed the better half of the decorative bushes in the center of the walkway out to the beach, which had been dead since we arrived.

I noticed that they left some of it, which is showing healthy new growth, including tiny buds and white flowers beginning to open up.  Spring is definitely on the way!  It reminded me of similar work awaiting us in Highlands upon our return, including pruning the apple trees and removing the small hemlock tree that fell just before we left and demolished our picnic table.

And Resolute Elevator continues to work resolutely on "the lifts," as I mentioned a few days ago in this blog.  It looks like they may be getting close to completing the project, with new walls in place.

There are also new control panels outside the doors, like this one on the ground floor, which seems to have considerably more buttons than the previous ones.

The crew of young men arrive early in the morning so I sometimes see them on my way out to the walkway for my Tai Chi, or later with a cup of coffee, and I always stop to talk a little.  "Been out walking?  Or running?" one of them asked as I returned from the beach in my running clothes.  "Running." I said.  "Really nice our there!"  One of them said, "I wish I was that committed," and I answered, "I've been told I ought to be committed!"

When will work be completed?  They were a little vague about it.  One of them indicated that the most difficult job would be not the hydraulics or the walls or the control panels but the alarm, and he pointed to the overhead alarm in the ceiling outside, which was open and from which dangled a lot of wires.  I suppose that might be one of the most important things about an elevator, if you think about it - being able to push a button and set off an alarm if it fails to work and you are stuck inside.

My guess is that the work will be finally completed and the elevators fully operational the day after we leave.