My wife's family gathered for a week at the beach last week, and I managed to join them for most of that time, enjoying that mystic place where ocean and land meet and battle for space. My exercise for the week consisted of nothing more strenuous than long walks on the beach. Too windy and cold most of the week, the chill kept us out of the water and huddled in sweatshirts and jeans on the porch overlooking the renourished beach's high dunes. Internet access and daily newspapers available a block away kept us connected to the outside world.
In years past — our beach trips with my wife's sister's family go back 32 years — these vacations have been more isolated. No cell phones. No Internet. Often no television or news radio. We walked and sat on the beach by day and played bridge or Trivial Pursuit by night. And we read. Everyone had a book or two or three to occupy quiet afternoons.
Some things have not changed. Last week I read one book and half of another (one fiction, one nonfiction). We walked and sat on the porch or the beach. We even played one round of Trivial Pursuit (new edition). Golf or fishing enticed some; I submitted another job application. But the biggest chore of decades ago, getting little children to bed, has been changed to the difficulty of coordinating the comings and goings of dispersed children and grandchildren, ensuring the safety and enjoyment of my wife's dad and stepmother, who have been ailing and for whom this trip was designed, and keeping everyone's diverging tastes (in food, activities and sound) compatible. My sister-in-law counted 27 family members present for some part of the week, but I lost count.
It was a successful trip, by all accounts, but I am glad, nonetheless, to be home.
That beach has eroded quite a bit. Sad for the renourishment as it sure did not last long. Figure eight is under the gun right now. EI to AB is in pretty good shape.
ReplyDelete....got to remember part of that week of 'no responses' was holiday.
ReplyDeleteWhich beach was this a pic of? Erosion looks pretty bad. I see some black sand bags. Never seen black before always white sand bags.
The beach is Topsail Island, toward the lower end. There are no sandbags on the beach, but dredged sand has been piled up in front of the houses, and an effort has been made to plant sea oats and other vegetation to hold the dunes in place.
ReplyDeleteThe lower end of TopSail has bags, well it did in the late 70's. I think the name of the motel was "Sea Vista." It got washed out by one of the storms. Not sure if the motel (rebuilt?) is still there or not but those sandbags were great b/c it kept the water shallow and allowed a great break for us wanting some exercise!
ReplyDeleteI wonder what those black things in the berm bottom are? The sandbags in front of the sea vista were white and plentiful!
TopSail is a great place to go and get away from it all. Now that the road is 4-laned to Wilmywood, if you want cosmo you got it.
....and 1 more thing.
ReplyDeleteI bet the erosion on the south end of TopSail is somewhat related to the erosion Figure 8 is going thru. If I remember correctly the state legislature just passed some kind of program that will allow Figure8 to install a groin of some sort in hopes of capturing the sand drift. That would be a good story for you to research and comment on.
A few years ago they realigned the inlet between Wrighstville and Figure 8. Wonder if this has anything to do w/ the problems at south TopSail. North topSail is fairling poorly also. EI and AB are in pretty good shape right now.