PHOTO BY Bill f AVER
WE DON'T KNOW much this gull can comprehend of the never ending sea-wash and what it
means to the rhythms and cycles of the seasons.
The Sea -Wash Never Ends
BY BILL FAVER
This time of year we seem to notice the sea more
than at other seasons. It may be bccausc there is less
on the bcach to distract us. Not as many people are
strolling along, not as many birds arc feeding on each
receding wave, not as many sea
oats and other plants arc waving in
the breezes. We tend to "sec" the
occan and to listen to the constan
r -i cy we know is out there. The sca
wash never ends!
Bccausc the waves are contin
ually washing the bcach wc can
find cxcitcmcnt in the motion and
the gifts brought up from the deep.
We can appreciate the swash
FAVER marks where waves leave mark
ings on the sand, and wc can marvel at the shells and
sea critters left on the bcach by the waves and tides. Wc
can even become very aware of what man-made plas
tics and glass and metal containers arc littering our
beaches as the tide leaves them in the high tide line.
Above all, wc can know that the next day the processes
v
will continue!
One of the poems of Carl Sandburg speaks of the
sea wash:
The sea-wash never ends.
The sea-wash repeats, repeats.
Only old songs? Is that all the sea knows?
Only the old strong songs?
Is that all?
The sea-wash repeats, repeats.
Like the birds and the other animals of the sea
there is so much wc do not know about the changes
and the cycles and the constancy of the sea. We, too,
can ask the same kinds of questions.
There is much, loo, wc have learned about the sea.
Wc know the rhythms of the tides and the forces of the
sun and moon. Wc have been to the depths and mea
sured almost everything. Wc have marveled at the life
forms and given praise to the Creator of such diverse
and complcx organisms. Perhaps during this Christmas
season, wc can find the time to spend some quiet anil
rewarding hours pondering the sea-wash. We may
learn to slow down and listen to the "old strong songs"
sung by the never-ending sea wash.
Transportation Secretary Responds To Letter
The following Idler was written
by Transportation Secretary Tom
my Harrelson in response to a
letter from Jamie Mill ike n of
Shalloue. A copv of Mr Milliken's
letter appeared in the Nov. 7 is
sue.
Dear Jamie:
Thank you for your Nov. 4 teller.
We arc all shocked and dismayed al
the tragic loss of life on ihc US 17
Bypass at NC 1 30.
Highway safety is dependent upon
a number of factors, two of the ma
jor ones being safe roadways and
safe drivers. All accidents are of
grave concern to us, and safety of
the driving public is a constant top
priority in managing this slate's road
system. We do all thai can be done
within the limits of available funds
using nationally adopted highway
design and maintenance standards to
make certain motorists are protected.
It is emotionally wrenching when
accidents still occur in spile of all
precautions laken.
The US 17 Bypass/NC 130 inter
section was designed with the best
approaching road alignment possible
and is controlled by the most ad
vanced traffic signal system avail
able. This intersection is safe by all
design requirements for that type
crossing. Yet, this tragic crash oc
curred. Individual driver altitude and
conformance with vehicle laws, re
grettably, is the one element over
which we have little control.
A number of things arc being
done al this intersection to focus the
driver's attention to safety and ele
vate awareness that it may be neccs
sary to stop for the red signal. Wc
will continue to watch traffic opera
tions at this intersection alter these
dcviccs are in place to make certain
wc have done all wc can.
There is no question dial all high
ways would be safer if traffic con
flict points such as grade crossing in
tcrseclions were replaced with
bridges and connecting ramps. It
would be our preference to do this
statewide. Regrettably, there is not
enough money to do this, and it be
comes a matter of what safely fea
ture to address. US 1 7 was rebuilt to
eliminate a dangerous, sub-standard
two lane road that lias, over lime, in
jured and taken the lives of many
people. Travelers would continue to
be at risk as long as it remained
unimproved. Adding bridges and
ramps on this road and others like it
across ihe slate would delay the ma
jor objective of building separate
lanes with a median to make these
two-lane roads safer.
This intersection and similar ones
where grade crossings arc built on
dual lane highways will continue to
be monitored for safety and chang
ing traffic conditions. Adding inter
changes in the future will be the fi
nal phase of construction.
TTiank you again for letting me
know of your concern. We need to
continue to hear from good citizens
like you.
Thomas J. Harrclson, Secretary
SOMETHING ON YOUR
MIND?
WRITE A LETTER
TO THE EDITOR
Suite Of North Carolina
Department Of Transportation
Raleigh
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
New Year's
Resolution Proposed
To the editor
Finally, ihc Wall tame tumbling
down. Communism has crumbled. It
wasn't Mr. Gorbachev who brought
the wall down. It was people power
and the unquenchable thirst for f ree
dom. Whether Russia's Gorbachev
stays the course or is followed by a
string of successors, no one can put
it back together again.
On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese
bombed Pearl Harbor. I was a little
tot, only ten years old, living in
Lincoln County, N. C. My mother
had sent me to the well to get a
bucket of water, so she could empty
it on our w<xkI stove for heating hoi
water.
Her breakfast biscuits were cook
ed in this wixxl stove, along with
fresh eggs laid by our hens on our
(arm. It was a cold day; we had our
radio tuned to WBT in our log cab
in. My sister and brothers were sit
ting at the kitchen table, enjoying
our biscuits and jams when we
heard on WBT thai the Japanese had
bombed Pearl Harbor!
We got into our old car and went
to visit our neighbors, John and
Ethel Graham. There are many peo
ple who will never forget "the day
that will live infamy." My daddy
said, he'd never buy anything "made
in Japan." The personal sacrifices of
Americans arc still remembered as if
it were yesterday!
As we begin the second year of
the new decade of the 1990s, won't
you join me in this New Year's reso
lution? Politicians who represent us
must vote for the long term healthy
growth of our economy, the absolute
equality of opportunity for all of our
citizens, and the active nurturing of
political, economic and religious
freedom everywhere on earth.
Let us exercise the people power
that was demonstrated so dramati
cally in Eastern Europe. Let us cre
ate an environment that enables our
financial institutions to reflect the
golden age dial awaits us. Let us ac
cept this responsibility now.
Bob L. Johnson
Ocean Isle Beach
First Class Museum
To the editor:
We recently vacationed at Ocean
Isle. It was a pleasant surprise to
lind a museum as nice as ihc
Museum of Coastal Carol i mis on the
beach.
The quality of the museum is first
class and educational. It had been
several years since we had visited
the island. We will return with our
children and take our friends who
vacation on Ocean Isle.
John and Anne Beard
Huntersville
Bottle Bill Needed
To the editor:
I read die excellent report by
Terry Hope on the solid waste prob
lem in our region. Leaders from
N.C. and Virginia met and discuss
ed most of the important aspects
dealing with solid waste disposal
and the costly problem of providing
landfill facilities.
Unfortunately and almost unbe
lievably. they all ignored a major
consideration tied in with solid
waste management. 1 am referring to
die near desperate need lor a "bottle
bill" or deposit law for glass, plastic
and metal beverage containers.
Increasingly states arc coming to
realize the need to clean up the dis
gusting array of such containers on
our streets, highways and parks. We
now have another advantage to such
a law. it will serve to reduce the total
volume of garbage now overloading
our landfills. While the containers
involve a modest percentage of the
total volume, remember that "every
litter hit helps" and our future will
be brighter, cleaner and less costly
in the long run.
We should all rethink the many
arguments in favor of such a law
and encourage our legislators to as
sociate it with solving the formid
able solid waste/landfill problem.
Bob Kochersberger
Seatrail, Sunset Beach
Paper Took Ten
Days To Arrive
To the editor:
I have read many times in your
newspaper about the late delivery ol
the Beacon to its subscribers.
It usually takes about seven days
to reach me, but this week look the
cake. Your paper was mailed on
1 1/20/91 . and I received it on
1 1/30/91. I would say there is some
thing definitely wrong with our
postal service, wouldn't you?
1 own a home in Brunswick
County and like to keep up with
what is going on. but when I get the
news it is very old. 1 don't know if
there is anything you can do about
it; I hope you can. I am also writing
a letter to the Shallotte Postmaster
regarding this matter.
If you are paying for second-class
postage, aren't you getting ripped
off.'
Gus Barbctta
Pitman, New Jersey
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