I Like Thursday: Chicks, Chocolate and Quilting

Ooh, wow - I spent an amazing week on Cape Cod with my chicks!  A few of the group couldn't attend, but those of us that could make it had terrific weather and good times all week.  

Every day was an adventure:  day-trips to Chatham, Wellfleet and Truro.  Long walks on the beach.  We enjoyed the sunset every evening and even roused ourselves out of bed one morning to see the sunrise.  Even that was an unexpected adventure:  5:45am and traffic was backed up on Bracket Road between the high school and Nauset Light beach.  From our vantage point two cars behind a cop car (with flashing lights) we could make out people walking down the street in the morning gloom.  So I hopped out of the car, jogged up past the cops, joined the end of the procession and asked them what they were doing.  Turns out we caught Senior Sunrise - an annual tradition of the seniors in the beginning of the school year to walk from the school to the beach for the sunrise.  Interesting tradition!  

I Like Thursday: Family Throwbacks

Another I Like post full of throwbacks.  I hope you don't mind. 

My mother, sister and I continue to sort through boxes of slides this summer in the hopes of keeping the best ones and making digital copies (and documenting when/where/who).  It's been a fun trip down memory lane, with a bunch of OMG-remember-this? plus a few who-the-heck-are-these-people?

It's so great to see Dad beaming.  I remember him as a happy guy.  I have so many cousins from both sides of the family - it's fun to see them so young.  And me with that afro?  I cried when I got that perm because it was so tight - but it makes me laugh, now.

I Like Thursday: Cukes, Cape, Chicks and a Little Frog

How can it possibly be the end of September?  The trees are turning and it's starting to feel like autumn.  I'm happy with the cooler weather (but not the shorter days).

This year's cucumber harvest was disappointing.  I had hoped to make more pickles!  But this cheeky slice looks like it's winking and smiling at me.  At least the few cucumbers I got were tasty.

My biggest like this month was spending the better part of a week at Cape Cod hosting my annual Chick Weekend.  We had beautiful weather every single day.

I Like Thursday: Kayaking, My Clan and a Claw

Ooh - a mid-month I Like post!  I finally got around to hitting the highlights of my trip to Cape Cod the last week in July.

It was a great time and the weather mostly behaved.  I brought my kayak and got out a couple of mornings.  Sunday morning was so calm and still - would you believe this photo was taken out in Cape Cod Bay?  It was quiet, too:  I could hear the water lapping on the shore.  The water was clear enough, too, to see my shadow on the sand below.

I Like Thursday: September's Summary

Ooh - what a September!  I have lots to share with Lee Anna and friends at I Like Thursday.

Kicked off the month by catching up with old friends and co-workers.  I started my first programming job with these guys.  Two of them were new hires with me.  The third guys I jokingly call my work husband - we've been working together for more than 30 years.  Nuts!

My tall friend moved to Japan years ago - I haven't seen him since 2003.  He was in the states for a few weeks, so we took this opportunity to all get together.  I'm so glad we made this work.

Scenes From Cape Cod

Cape Cod Chick Weekend was a couple of weeks ago.  We stayed in a new place near Thumpertown beach, just a little south of Campground beach in Eastham.  We arrived to hot humid weather.  Then stormy weather blew through on Sunday and Tuesday.

We walked to the beach on Sunday to watch the weather as it rolled across the bay.  I wanted to walk on the beach before the tide came in.  I thought the dark clouds looked amazing from down on the beach as they moved across Brewster and Orleans.

A Few Fun Things From Chick Weekend

Chick Weekend was a short, small affair this year.  A few of the fun highlights:  

This dog was so unbelievably happy - he'd run out after the ball, bring it back to his humans, then roll around in the sand.  He was beside himself with joy.  Then he saw a seal pop up in the water - he'd run out full tilt into the water as if he was saying, "come play with me!!!"  The seal would watch him, then go:  hell no.  Dog would be all confused - where did my friend disappear to?  This went on a few times.  I'm pretty sure the dog thought the seal was another dog. 

I Like Thursday: Summer Comes to an End

Not only is it September, it seems October is just around the corner.  But I am enjoying the cooler weather (and finally some rain).

The one basil plant I bought this year turned into an amazing bush.  I harvested it last week - took me 40 minutes to pick off all the leaves.  I ended up with this pile.  I froze enough to fill two quart bags (not packed), make pesto and dried a bunch for my spice jar.  Nice!  The whole freezer still smells of basil.

I Like Thursday: Ends and Beginnings

Let's see if I have time to whip out this week's I Like Thursday post.  

I tested negative for covid.  Yay! 

We're moving back into the kitchen!  Obviously that floor needs to be done;  the work starts on Friday.  All that's left is a few minor tweaks.  Loading everything back in the cabinets is taking a while since the layout has changed.

I Like Thursday: A Chick Weekend

This week flew by because I was away for most of it.  I spent yesterday digging through my work email and trying to remember what I had been doing last week.

The bridge at the top of the hill was under construction all summer.  We'd walk by the excavation equipment and joke about me taking a joy ride in one of the vehicles.  We got to know some of the guys; on Friday Rob asked if I could sit in the cab so he could take photos.  It was a climb up!  The guy was worried about me, but Rob said he sends me up on the roof, so no worries.  Ha!

I Like Thursday: Cape and Companions

Had a great time down at the Cape for an annual Chick Weekend.

The morning I left a neighbor had harvested a bunch of her sunflowers.  They were in a bucket at the end of her driveway, marked FREE.  She urged us to take a few as we passed on our morning walk.  I did.  I was afraid they'd be dead by the time I returned home, so I packed them with me to the Cape. They had a rough trip, but perked up quite nicely when we arrived.  The were cheerful all weekend.  Everyone liked them.

She still had a few left when I returned.  I had left these ones behind (I hope my aunt liked them!) and picked up three more at home.

Cape Chick Weekend 2019

We were discussing how long we've been doing Cape Chick Weekend.  Turns out this is number thirteen.  Amazing.

One set of castle builders, the crazy wind, home with ribbons

Hurricane Dorian's leftovers were enough to cancel much of Saturday's Windmill Weekend events.  The website said that stuff would start at noon.  So my sister and I headed to Encounter Beach to participate in the Sand Art contest.  The parking lot was nearly empty, there was no bandstand.  There were as many car leaving as arriving.  But when we got close to the beach, we could see a family digging in the sand.  I stepped out of the car and said "Is it canceled?"  The organizers had left one intrepid guy to tell us - it's canceled.  We stayed long enough to photograph my sister in the crazy wind and get a little sandblasted.  The guy knocked on my car window just as we were about to go home.  He handed us a pair of red participatory ribbons.  He said: you showed up, you earned these.

I Like Thursday: A Few Days Off

Busy, crazy week, then a few days off.  Family Weekend was last weekend.  Rob and Mabel came with me to the Cape - I can't tell you how happy that made me.  I would have worried about them all weekend I'd left them with a chaotic house.  I was lucky, too, that the accommodations could handle an extra person and a guinea pig.

We survived the heat and the horseflies to have our traditional cookout at Nauset Light. 

I Like Thursday: Leftovers, Odds and Ends

I like walking the beach on the off season.  Lots of sand and water, not many people.  I was amused by this sign I had not noticed before - it claims to be Pervert's Perch.  I'm sure it has a great view of the beach below.

I met a goofy golden lab on my walk, too.  He looked like he was digging to China at the waterline.  He was putting a ball in the hole, then digging deeper.  I stopped to talk to his caretaker - said the dog just liked to do that.  At this point, the dog took notice of me, ran over and dropped the ball near my feet.  The guys were impressed - evidently he doesn't share his ball with just anyone.  I threw it into the water - further than any of us thought I could.  The lab was thrilled and went swimming after it.

I also enjoyed meeting a pair of treasure hunters that day, with their metal detectors.  All they had found were nails, no doubt flung from the construction site at the top of the bluff.

Nauset Light to Campground

One last leftover from Chick Weekend - then I swear I'm done.  Well, maybe a couple of more photos in the next I Like Thursday post.

We stay in Eastham, a short walk from Campground Beach.  Nauset Light (from yesterday's post) is on the ocean side of Eastham, three miles straight east from Campground.  When we got back from Nauset Light I recorded what high tide looks like at Campground for comparison.  These two clips were taken only an hour apart. 

Ocean Fun

On the last day of Chick Weekend we headed to Nauset Light in Eastham, MA.  It was windy, cloudy and cool.  We decided to see what the water was like and check out the seal/shark activity.  Turned out to be an exciting way to spend the morning.

Shark warnings, kite surfer, lots of sea foam, and a much shorter sand dune with a missing staircase

The wind was whipping and the waves were impressive as high tide rolled in.  We were immediately sandblasted as we got out of the car.  The stairs and the bathhouse were gone from last year.  They've given up on building stairs (which have been rebuilt year after year) and have opted for a sloped path through the dunes to get to the shoreline.  I know there were plans to rebuild the bathhouse; currently there's a sad little trailer at the other end of the parking lot.  I'm amazed how much has eroded in my lifetime.

Kayaking in the Bay

Setup complete (in less than 15 minutes)

My sister was kind enough to bring down a pair of Oru kayaks to Chick Weekend.  I've written about these before - they're these neat origami kayaks that fold into the size of a large suitcase and weigh under 30 lbs.  She had the two of these stuffed in her hatchback with the back seats pulled down.

We have paddled around the Quaboag River and Pond, but I had not been in any kayak out in Cape Cod Bay before.  So this was new.  There was a good breeze on our first day and the water wasn't too choppy.  We headed north towards Wellfleet.

I Like Thursday: Seen Around Eastham

I have so much to like, it may spill over into next week.  I jammed myself and six friends into a cottage on Cape Cod this weekend.  It was wonderful.  Even with all the terrific goings on with them, I had a chance to notice some fun little stuff.  So I'll start with that.


I was amused by these mailboxes.  Five of them lined up and not a single one the same height as another.

Cape Chick Weekend XII

You'd think that after a dozen chick weekends on the Cape I'd have nothing more to say.  Yet every year new stuff happens among the tried-and-true weekend routines.  While waiting to pick up pizza on Friday night, we ran into at least two other groups of chick-weekend gals.  Must be the weekend to do that!

I had a packed house this year, with seven of us down on Saturday.  Added bonus:  my sister made it for the first time!  We squeezed most of us in a single car to make our Atlantic Spice pilgrimage.  We all came back with goodies (I can't believe how much I purchased considering I had been there in July!).  However, once the last gal arrived, we had to pile in two cars to check out the sand sculptures.

Bittersweet

I have arrived to what feels like home.  It's odd, because I am here no more than five minutes and I start to yearn.  For what?  There's a crush of feelings.  This particular weekend in September reminds me of people I've loved (I still love) that are no longer living.  At the same time, there's the anticipation of my friends arriving for a chick weekend.  There's the peace and comfort of an old familiar place.  I miss what I've lost and love what I have.  It's a wonderful feeling, even with the tint of sadness.

I finished a book of Rumi poems Thursday night.  He speaks of longing; love's confusing joy.  I suspect that has colored my feelings, has made me pensive.  So I am grateful to have a little time to be still, appreciate the quiet, even for a little while - before the frenzied happy activity of the weekend begins.