(The old expression, "Once a reporter, Always a reporter," is certainly true with our official roving "Foreign Correspondent" and ex Rambler staffer and writer extraordinaire Warren Sparrow. Unfortunately, his budding newspaper career was interrupted by an interest in the more profitable legal profession...eventually becoming one of the leading lawyers in North Carolina. We are fortunate to him as a regular contributor to this website. -Ed)
By Warren Sparrow
By Warren Sparrow
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| Warren Sparrow |
If Sea Vista could talk, no doubt she
could tell some great stories. When she
was “born,” probably not long after World War II, she was a stately
three-story, beach-front motel topped by a single, fourth-floor “honeymoon
suite.” Every room had a balcony and an
unobstructed view of the smooth, sandy beach and the roiling Atlantic
Ocean.
But, Sea Vista did not age well. In fact, it is a wonder that she still
stands. Like most places along the North
Carolina coast, Sea Vista fell victim to the wrath of storms and tides. Many homes, even roads, along the coast were
dumped into the ocean.
Miraculously, Sea Vista survived but
not without paying a hefty price: All her
first-floor rooms were rendered uninhabitable, having been flooded and filled
with sand. The owners of Sea Vista
elected to abandon the first-floor units in an effort to salvage floors two and
three and the honeymoon suite. In an
attempt to minimize the damage, the owners took out the first-floor walls in
order to make it look like the building was on stilts.
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| Sea Vista Motel |
The plan worked but it left Sea Vista
badly “disfigured.” Despite having the
worst “curb appeal” of any motel we have ever visited, Sea Vista remains a
jewel in our eyes.
Therefore, we set sail Sunday morning
to see our old friend by the sea, knowing she has been seriously hurt but also
knowing what a wonderful heart she has.
En route we stopped at the
Garner/Fuquay-Varina exit on I-40, which is about halfway between our house and
Sea Vista. There is a McDonald’s right
off the exit ramp. It was a perfect
stop. The rest rooms were clean. We did not have to wait very long for our
order. I had, you guessed it, a No. 1
combo, a Big Mac et al. Becky had a
quarter-pounder with cheese. For dessert
we each had a chocolate-chip cookie.
About three hours later we arrived at
Sea Vista, checked in and got two keys to Room 307, an “efficiency.” It had been a year since we had been there
and the place looked the same. The first
floor was covered with sand just as it was the last time we were there. We were pleasantly surprised to find our unit
had been “upfitted.” It had been freshly
painted. The appliances looked fairly new.
The décor was a cut above what we had seen in previous stays.
The king-size bed was in excellent
shape. The screen door to the balcony
was in good working order. We were delighted. We had these unexpected frills to go along
with the big deal: Direct, close access
to the beach and ocean.
For three days we lapped it up,
cooking every meal in 307. It was
overcast most of the time. For some that
might not be so hot. For us, it was
perfect. Bright sun is something we must
avoid.
We headed home the morning of the
fourth day, stopping again at the Garner/Fuquay-Varina exit. This time we had lunch at Cracker Barrel, a
chain we avoided for many years until we went to one in Morehead, KY, on our
way to Kansas for granddaughter Lydia's
wedding earlier this year. Once again, we were not disappointed.
Refreshed, we returned to I-40 and
continued West until we arrived home at the end of the 265-mile drive. There you have it. We have old, battle-worn Sea Vista to thank
for a lovely time at the coast. She has
been through a lot. We are proud to know
her.
-WS
-WS
