October Celebration

Turned away from the harrowing months of surgeries and recuperation towards the future.

Three months following my second brain surgery in late July, we turned away from medical concerns, drove southeast to the outer banks of North Carolina where I basked in the healing energies of sun, wind, surf and sand on the beaches of Ocracoke Island. The trip, a joint birthday present to ourselves, book-ended our five-week journey to the Pacific Coast taken a few short months before learning of my brain tumors. Mike, photographed pelicans while I did nothing - and did it very well, thank you.

Thirty-six hours after leaving home we checked into our west-facing vacation apartment on Silver Lake. Upon arrival, having spent weeks planning to shoot a video of sunsets and pelicans, Mike set up his camera and tripod on our deck in wait for sundown. Thinking we had six more sunsets ahead of us, I smiled at Mike's eagerness to capture our very first. As it turned out, that sunset was the last we'd see. For the remainder of our stay, instead of being concerned about the sun, our challenge became how to stay warm without having to purchase a new wardrobe. The temperatures ranged in the fifties rather than for high sixties and low seventies for which we'd packed.



Though the hours spent on the beach were curtailed, our meals were not. We sampled the fare of several good eateries but returned to The Front Porch to celebrate our joint birthdays with a luscious fish dinner. As we toured many shops and galleries we met several local folks and learned about island living. I slept a good deal while Mike chased pelicans. Early one morning he braved the cold, pre-dawn weather to shoot a glorious cloud-filled sunrise. In spite of the inclement weather, Mike succeeded in recording a fantastic photographic array of stills and video. The best stills are now framed and hanging. A video of our stay, complete with pelicans, has been posted on vimeo.com.

By the week's end, we were ready to return home even though the weather had returned to sun and warmth. The wind and the water had had the desired effect on me. I felt rested and stronger. Just before leaving I ceased taking Tegretol, the anti-seizure drug that I'd been prescribed the previous January.

As a result, within a week after returning home, my Qi, (life force) was strengthened, my hair was once again glossy instead of straw-like, and my nails were no longer soft and flaky. All these signs of returning health added to my gratitude. At the time, I wondered how long it would take for me to recover from the effects of both the drugs and the anesthesia.

Our island respite neatly bookended our western trip taken the previous year.