Aberdeen

Suddenly particles of sand on the beach seem to come alive and glisten from the first rays of the sun; the reflections are all the colors of a rainbow. But that’s not the only thing coming to life at this early hour. Mark Hopkins, a trim six-foot four-inch, 27-year-old former Navy SEAL Lieutenant and owner of Ridgefield Farm has his back braced against a half-ton boulder, one of thousands piled into a six-foot high barrier (called rip-rap) along the 800-foot shoreline of his farm. Two similar barriers are installed perpendicular to the rip-rap barrier at each end of Ridgefield’s property line (called breakwaters) to prevent erosion from waves generated by hurricanes and tornadoes. In Mark’s arms is Ruth Wayne, a gorgeous and unpretentious five-foot ten-inch, 26-year old flight attendant with long brown hair. She’s using his chest as a pillow and wearing a pullover with American Airlines woven across the front. She grips a cup of hot coffee with both hands. “Did you hear something?” he asks and waits for a response from her. “Someone must be playing tricks with my ears this morning.” Ruth squirms closer into his chest and rests her head near his shoulder. “I smell Obsession,” he says, leaning over to kiss her neck then raising his head to gaze at the blue sky. “No Canada geese flying anywhere this morning. They’re probably necking at the Wildlife Refuge.” Ruth turns her head and kisses his neck. “Guess someone’s playing tricks with my eyes, too,” he continues. “I thought I saw an image of a rabbi swirling about a thousand feet off shore, right where Eisenwein Raceway used to be before it was washed away into the Bay.” “My grandfather’s eyes always lit up when he talked about attending sulky harness races out there when he was a boy,” she says, pointing in the direction of the bay. “He claimed that over the past 100 years, landowners have surrendered more than 2,500 feet of earth to the bay. Even the Eisenwein home collapsed into the Bay many years ago.” “Well, at last, she speaks! You haven’t said a word to me all morning.” “Until a minute ago, neither have you,” she says with a tease. “You were tossing and turning all night long.” “Neither of us could get comfortable. We both seemed a little restless and edgy.” “More than a little, I’d say.” “For breakfast, you should have put some paprika on your sausage link left over from last night,” says Mark. “Why?” “It’s spicy and matches your disposition.” “Sorry. That wasn’t my intention,” she quickly answers. “Guess I was looking forward to seeing the Bay and you holding me close in your arms."