Bethel Beach

The other day I drove to Bethel Beach for a quick visit.

It was an unusually calm, windless day. 

Also unusual was the fact that the sun was out.

It feels like we've had nothing but rain and misery dreariness for months on end.

We all survived Christmas and I for one am very much looking forward to 2019.  To help motivate me to exercise more, which I desperately need to do, I've signed up for a half-marathon in Virginia Beach in March.  Whether I will be able to complete it remains to be seen.  My only goal is to be able to walk it and finish.  If I don't, though, I don't.

It wasn't that long ago when my goal was to finish these races without walking at all.  Given the six months of chemo and subsequent heart issues, however, I have to adjust my goals downwards.  It makes me a little mad, but it all just makes me want to do and be better. 

So, here is to a healthier and happier 2019 for all of us.

Happy New Year.

Aarons Beach

These pictures of a sunny Aarons Beach area were taken a couple of weeks back, when I stopped there to take a jog.

It was breezy but warm.

The bay really isn't elevated that much above the shoreline/beach area.  I was using my zoom and this was the result.

I've been behind in my jogging and my blogging here lately.

This week, any down time I had was spent preparing for a possible It's Either Gonna Be Another Hurricane Hazel, A Dud, or Anything In Between storm.  

So far, Hurricane Matthew is only delivering Mathews County lots of wind, rain and high tides.  But, to be perfectly honest, we've had those weather conditions hovering around for what feels like years months now, in spite of the sunny, clear skies depicted here.

I'm off on Monday thanks to the wonderful federal holiday, and I hope to take some pictures and do some more jogging then.

Have a great weekend.

Aaron's Beach

Sunday afternoon after a four-mile run, I drove down to Aaron's Beach just to say hello.

Although the sun was shining brightly, the wind was brisk.

Temperatures were only in the forties.

(Saturday, when I went running down Redart, it started snowing!)

(I'm really ready for warm weather to settle in and for the cold to go away.)

Anyway, the sand at the beach's entrance has shifted since I last visited.  

But most of the rest of it 

looks the same.

It was another busy week here in the Chesapeake Bay household.  Daughter purchased her prom dress, and in a few weeks I'll be taking my very last prom pictures as a mother.  Sunday night was her basketball banquet, the very last sports banquet I'll be attending as a mother.  Her cap and gown recently arrived, and before too long I'll be a blubbering idiot blinking back tears at her graduation.  She's very eager for high school to be over and done with, and she can't wait to get to UVA.  I'm so proud of her.

I continue to press the limits of an odometer with my 100-mile daily commute, but I have been doing some fun things as well.  On Saturday, Middle Sister invited me to an oyster roast at the Mathews Yacht Club, where she recently applied to become a member. We thoroughly enjoyed a seafood feast with some fascinating people.

Baby Sis and I are once again traveling to Nashville to visit our blog friend Lauren.  We will also attempt to run another half marathon.  Since my car accident, I've not been able to get back to where I was physically.  There are more aches and pains and I just feel older different.  But I'm not letting that deter me.  I'm able to run six miles without stopping, just not sure I can do 13.1 miles without walking, so I'm not making that a priority.  I just want to finish the race and not worry about my time or whether I have to walk or not.  Plus, it's not really about the race.  It's about the adventure that Baby Sis and I will have with our friend in Nashville.  That doesn't happen until the end of the month, but I'm gearing up for it nevertheless.

There's more to tell, and when things simmer down here I will tell the story from beginning to end.

It's a very good one.

I hope all is well in your world.  Have a great week!

Storm

Last week we endured a nor'easter on top of a nor'easter just before the remnants of a hurricane rolled in.

Queens Creek tried to contain herself, but those sustained northeast winds wore her down after a while, especially at high tide.

The water came in the yard but thankfully not in the house.
Unless you want to count the standing water in my garage due to a clogged drain, and I don't.
Thank you very much.

The dock and boathouse, built by my father in the 1970s, worried me.  The creek was over the top of the dock and well up the side of the boathouse for at least five days straight.  Whenever I went out to check on things, especially at high tide, I shook my head as I watched the weakened dock boards go up and down like piano keys with every wave that hit.

There are four dock boards here poking their heads above water.
They're supposed to be attached to the dock, not coming up for air.

(Let's not talk about the paint job the boathouse needs. Thank you.)

This was the first time I ever wondered if the boathouse would finally just surrender and say, "Ya know what?  I've been here a long time.  I'm old.  I'm tired.  I've put up with a lot of stuff, I've done my job.  I deserve to be retired, sipping a margarita poolside in Florida.  Why, exactly, am I still here on Queens Creek putting up with heavy, sustained northeasterly winds and water up to my waist?"

I didn't have an answer.  I couldn't muster a reason at all.  As a matter of fact, why wasn't *I* sipping a margarita poolside in Florida?  Why was *I* still here putting up with the same stuff day after day? Storm after storm?


Miraculously, we both stayed put.

Although the boathouse and I survived with nothing more than an attitude, the dock clearly showed signs of a potential move to Florida surrender.

Luckily, this was the worst of it for us.

Mathews schools let out early on Friday and were closed Monday and Tuesday.

Wednesday there was an hour delay to allow the tide to come in and out.

And the sun came back out again.

The storm always passes.  

And life goes on.

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p.s. I'm not blogging as much for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is Daughter is using my laptop for homework since hers kicked the bucket of late.  Other reasons include driving 400 miles a week to work, work itself, other people asking me to take on more work, very little spare time, nor'easters, surviving as a single parent, surviving another senior year of high school and college applications, remembering to order senior pictures, enduring a nagging toothache that is causing a nagging headache 24 hours a day and my refusal to go to a dentist, Daughter's car needing work, Son needing money, a dog that needs a bath, a cat that needs flea medicine, the stink bug population, ants on my counter, a leaking kitchen sink, a dripping kitchen faucet, and a case of severe exhaustion.  Oh, and I'm training for a half marathon.

OBX Half Marathon 2014

Over the weekend, Baby Sis and I made our annual trek to the Outer Banks to run a half marathon, and except for the fact that an 80-year-old woman beat us, we were pleased with our time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, our best thus far.

In fact, we were absolutely thrilled with our time-- until we learned that  the 80-year-old woman beat us by almost TEN minutes.  So, to recap, that is a woman, 80 years old, running 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 6 minutes.  Baby Sis is 44, and I will be 50 (!) next January.  She's over 30 years older than we are!

We were fit to be tied when we learned this.  Baby Sis went so far as to accuse her of stealing a golf cart to make such good time.  I'm pretty sure a race official would have noticed an 80-year-old on a golf cart, but Baby Sis won't let go of her theory.

To help ease the sting of this astonishing news, we indulged in some free beer.

I'd like to take a moment to recognize that, although I'm not a beer drinker, there is almost nothing better than a cold, free beer or three after exercising for over two hours without stopping.  It's a little slice of heaven, I tell you.

I think it was about 9:30 in the morning here.  Sunday morning, in fact.
While some folks were hunkered down in church, we were having our own worship service of sorts.

In addition to the free beer, there was my other favorite thing:  free food!  And live music.

And lots and lots of people watching.

This bear was everywhere. Just sort of there.
Not doing anything.  Just lurking. It was only slightly creepy. 

Baby Sis and I always seem to attract people who like to laugh and be silly.  The guy below came trotting over because he liked the fact that we were laughing loudly.  Still giddy from the endorphins and free beer at 9:30 on a Sunday morning in downtown Manteo, I had no problem telling him that the actual reason we were laughing was because he looked like a clown.  Although you can't tell from this picture, he had slathered on far too much free sunscreen they gave away at the expo, and there wasn't a hint of sun in the sky.

Note to Self: Where, exactly, is my upper lip?  I thought I had one.
Instead, I look like Frank Burns on MASH,
and I have the nerve to call someone else a clown?

We met some amazing people at the post-race party.  The two gentlemen below ran the full marathon with incredible times.

(The bear didn't run at all.  He just sat. And stared.)

Doug, below, won an award in his age bracket.  He completed the full 26.2 miles in just over 3 hours. He's run the Boston Marathon many times and also happens to be one hilarious human being.  He came all the way from Nashville just to run this race.

After a while, it started to turn cold, 

and our muscles and feet were telling us it was time to leave.

So we hopped on the shuttle where Baby Sis proceeded to spill her beer and headed back to the hotel.

We ate a lovely dinner at the Black Pelican 

and continued the wine laughter well into the evening.

A fantastic time was had by all.

For those of you wondering if we saw Kilt Man (from last year's adventure), we did. He was a pacer for the full marathon, and we chatted at the finish line.  Baby Sis controlled any urges to lift up the kilt. All in all, we were a little tamer better behaved this year, but that still didn't preclude us from having fun.

One of the things we learned from talking with so many runners--all of whom had better times than we did--was we need to do more races.  We've been running two half-marathons per year, thinking that was enough.  

If we want to beat that 80-year-old--and we do--we need to do more.

I turn 50 (!) next January, and I'd like to try a full marathon, perhaps next year this time at the Outer Banks.  To do that, I'm going to need to do at least two or three half marathons before that.

That's a whole lot of running.  

Right now, though, what I need most of all is a nap.

The End.

Hints of Red

These shots of three different red structures were taken last Sunday.

This first one is the boldest red--and also the farthest away.

(Above, the barn in the distance on the right tries to hide behind those pine trees.)

Here, another little red building is perfectly content on the side of Garden Creek Road.

This particular shed near the nursing home is more like a silver fox with some red streaks still visible.

I've taken pictures of the barn above for about eight years now, and it never gets old.  There's something about this whole scene that to me says Mathews.

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Warning:  Change of topic forthcoming.  

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This weekend, Baby Sis and I make our trek to the beaches of North Carolina to participate in the Outer Banks Half Marathon.  I look forward to it for the escape, not so much for the run.

Click here for an overview of last year's escapades.

I'll be back to blogging the middle of next week--assuming we make it across the finish line.

(We will.)