This Year's Cape Cod Vacation

The photo above is of sand, but the pattern could well be that of a sea shell, too.

Driftwood art.

Cloud beasties. I see some pretty fantastic things in these clouds! :)

 

I did my annual trip to Cape Cod recently. I’ve been going to the same cottage, the same week in September since 1990…with hiatus of five years from 2005 thru 2009.

This year I had the opportunity to arrive at the cottage in North Eastham a day early (thanks to the owner, Paul D.).

My days would normally have been filled with bike riding and walking beaches, but with most days being either windy or stormy, I rode only one day and walked only one beach.

I did get to Provincetown for my fudge and a walk on MacMillan Wharf. I enjoy strolling Commercial St. and looking in all the store windows. I stopped in at Cuffy’s and bought a nice fleece jacket for $15. And a hamburger at Tatiana’s on Lopes Square. It was warm, and sitting in the shade for me was a must. Lots of interesting people to watch, conversations to over-hear, and squirrels and pigeons to shoo.

The storm that came through on Tuesday night had winds up to 60 mph and lashing rain. The whole day had strong winds. Being alone in a cottage…at night…in a howling gale…not fun. I was expecting the power to go out at any moment and pleasantly surprised when it did not. By Wednesday noon the storm had cleared the Cape but the winds never quit until Thursday.

In the meantime, the water heater decided it had had enough and went out. It probably went out on Saturday night or Sunday morning, but it wasn’t until Monday I realized I had only cold water.

As luck would have it, Paul D. and his wife were out of town and would be back on Wednesday. I left a note on their door and proceeded to heat water on the stove for washing up and doing dishes. Paul came over around 6:30 Wednesday night and restored the hot water. The pilot light had gone out and even Paul had a problem relighting it.

By Thursday it was much calmer and I was able to do my usual walk out to Nauset Marsh inlet. It seems every year it gets closer to Coast Guard Beach.

I also called a childhood friend of mine, Betty, who lives in Dennis and left her a message.

Because there is no wi-fi connection at the cottage my need for electronic connections caused me to be somewhat creative. In the morning when I went for my Cape Cod Times at the Eastham General Store (4.5 miles), I stopped in front of the Eastham library where they have a 24/7 wi-fi service. Then, around 3 p.m., I would head for Wellfleet and the Dunkin Donuts (about 10 miles) for coffee and munchkins. I would use their wi-fi while I had my afternoon pick-me-up.

On Friday, I had planed to ride the Cape Cod Rail Trail. It was supposed to be the first day with much calmer winds. But Mother Nature had other ideas. The day was windy and heavy overcast with a threat of rain.

No sense hanging around. Packed up and headed home. Stopped to visit Betty on the way out. We haven’t seen each other in a few years. We grew up together as kids and then we went separate ways, but in my mind, have always been close friends.

So ends another vacation. Since I’m retired, lets call it a week spent in another place doing different nothing much.