Vaccination Eve

 The latest post from the Carteret County Shore Protection Office website: 

“RANGE B COMPLETED; BEACHFILL CONTINUES ADVANCING WEST.  Weeks Marine continues to make solid progress and has completed dredging the reach known as "Range B" in the Morehead City Harbor, and the concurrent beachfill operations have advanced to "Station 1169+00", which is near where (sic) the east end of the shore parallel road of Club Colony Drive.  Weeks Marine contractors report that, on the morning of February 11, on the dune-top deck in front of a beachfront condo, a tall ungainly-looking individual was sighted practicing a weird Chinese exercise just after sunrise.”

From my perspective, a shadow has been cast over my morning Tai Chi practice.  Instead of the rhythmic, soothing sound of the Atlantic Ocean, two large pipelines now extend along the beach in front of me, while vehicles pass before my eyes east to west, west to east, lights flashing and back-up horns beeping.  A cluster of buildings appeared overnight, a large red metal building where I assume chilled contractors occasionally take shelter and drink hot cups of coffee, and two porta-johns.  The dark mound of “beachfill” continues marching inexorably westward, toward the Oceanana Pier and the Atlantic Beach Circle, and their work has continued throughout the night these past few days.

Yesterday, we drove to The Circle, parked, and walked to Oceanana Pier from the “other” side, and when we reached the pier we could see the advancing wall of beachfill and hear the sounds of bulldozers approaching less than a mile away.  But it was low tide and a beautiful morning to walk on this wide flat beach that, as I have pointed out in past posts, appears to have no need of nourishment whatsoever.

Another shadow has been cast over our Sabbatical here on this winter beach, and that is the trial this week in the U. S. Senate of the impeached Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection.  Didn’t we go through this just a little over a year ago, when the same man now on trial was attempting to extort a “favor” from the President of Ukraine to dig up dirt on the man who now (thankfully) sits in the Oval Office?  We had the TV on most of the day yesterday and today, watching the meticulous presentation by an excellent team of impeachment managers and including harrowing new videos of the events on January 6.  The unfortunate reality is that it is very likely that this vile, corrupt, reprehensible man will be acquitted because of Republicans who no longer believe in anything other than power and money.  It seems like a long time ago when we walked innocently on this wide beach looking for sand dollars and royal sea stars.  But it is always that way, after all:  the struggle to find peace and balance and serenity in the midst of turmoil.

House Manager Jamie Raskin ended his presentation with that uplifting quote from Thomas Paine with which most of us are familiar.

Last night the fog rolled in again from the ocean, and the sunset in the western sky, diffused and gloriously pink, shone through the mist, like a beautiful balm of kindness for us in this time of uncertainty.  The equipment has moved farther west, almost out of earshot, and we can once again hear the sound of the ocean.

This morning I completed my long run, six miles to Fort Macon and back.  The reason I completed my long run on a Thursday morning instead of a Saturday is not because of the weather forecast but because, thanks to Martha’s prompt enrollment on the Carteret County website, we have been notified that we will be receiving the first of our Covid vaccines at 8:15 in the morning.  It will be the Moderna vaccine, and we will receive the second shot a month from now.  It will be a relief to be among the growing number of vaccinated Americans, but we are also anticipating possible side effects, which might include not feeling very much like running six miles for a day or two.  

Twelve red roses are in a vase behind me as I post to this blog, given to Martha to mark the 43^rd anniversary of our first date in 1978.  I am so thankful that our roads crossed so providentially on that February day so long ago!  It never ceases to astonish me how one’s life can change so suddenly and profoundly, in a moment, in a single evening, when suddenly you realize you have met your soul mate.  I might have predicted a day or two after that date that we would be together for the rest of our lives.  But I never would have predicted all of the other milestones along the path that we have taken together – moving to Highlands, raising a daughter.  And never would I have predicted that 43 years after that date we would be driving to the old K-Mart building on Arendell Avenue in Morehead City to be vaccinated against a virus that has killed nearly half-a-million people in a global pandemic.