Cape Chick Weekend IX

What happens in North Eastham tends to stay on Facebook.  Another Chick Weekend has flown by and I'm the last one to post photos.  Lots of wine, pastry and beaches.  We do have fun.

I got an early start on Friday, and stopped on the way to visit with a friend I hadn't seen in years.  I continued my trip with a memento - a little stuffed nuthatch.  It says "greeb-greeb-greeb" when it's squeezed and it got lots of squeezes over the weekend.

Last year's weather was good for lounging; this year we had sunny cool weather, so we were on the go.  Saturday morning we started with photographing my quilt, then moved on to taste testing a set of beach plum jelly.  My cousin made four different batches.  All of them were yummy; we liked numbers 3 and 4 the best (tester #4 came home with me).

Stuffed nuthatch, beach plum jelly tasting,
parade land shark, Great Island

The rest of Saturday flew by.  Three of us started with a stroll on the beach until our fourth member arrived.  Then off to the craft fair, the spice shop, the Truro vineyard for a tour, and then our favorite stop:  the PB Boulangerie bakery.  Bread.  Pastry.  Oh, yum!

We returned to the cottage for a bit of dinner, then out again for the sand sculpture contest.  It's always entertaining to see what people dream up.  There was a sand minion and a mini road paving crew (complete with a sand steam roller).  One of our favorites was boy who had created several mythical figures from sand, rocks, shells, wood and seaweed.  "It's Medusa!" he announced, then proceeded to point out (with both the common and the Greek names) of a cyclops, Hercules... and a pirate.  I wish I had taken a video - the kid was a hoot.

Our other favorite was called the Mermaid Castle.  The colors and details on the mermaid were amazing.  It was the most vibrant sculpture there.

Sunday included sleeping in, the arrival of our final chick, and a return trip to the bakery.  Because, you know, once wasn't enough.  After that, we headed to the last Windmill Weekend event - the parade.  Not as fun as it has been some years, but we saw Smokey the Bear, and a shark handing out candy.  We spent a quiet evening reading and chatting while listening to the rain outside and my guinea pigs burbling in their cage.  

Before I knew it, it was Monday.  The last of the chicks and I went for a long walk from Nauset Light to Coast Guard Beach.  The weather was beautiful, and we watched lots of seals bobbing in the waves.  By the afternoon, it was just me and the guinea pigs.  I caught up on some reading, took more walks on the beach, and got a chance to walk Great Island in Wellfleet, all the way down to Jeremy Point.  Walking through soft sand is hard work!

With such great weather, it was hard to pack up and return home.  Bummer.  Good memories will have to sustain us until next year!