Back from our annual sand-fest on Cape Cod, and sad that there’s another 51 weeks to go before we return. It was supremely relaxing. A room right on the bay-side beach up near Beach Point in North Truro, lots of books to read and things to knit. No phones and no computers. The day consisted of consulting the tide chart for a relative fix on the time, cooking or going out when we were hungry, walking the beach and taking the occasional hike and paddling the kayak from the strand right in front of our room.

The big highlight of our week was a hike across the stone breakwater at Woods End at the lower end of Provincetown, to explore the isolated beach beyond. Not my pix here (obvious because it’s a good shot). Here’s another one. The rock hopping stroll was about 1.5 miles each way. Being a klutz I rolled a 2 on agility and fell at the far end, but although I was banged up a bit, no major damage was registered, and we all returned back the way we came.

On the beach dining included our now traditional over-the-coals paella (identical to this one from years past).

plus (on other days) chicken rubbed with lemon and olive oil then roasted on the grill, beef kabobs, steamed lobsters, and the usual kid-friendly hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch.

Dining out included Terra Luna in North Truro (always excellent); The Mews (our no-kids Date Night – exquisite food, very highly recommended), and Nappi’s in Provincetown (a good place to take kids to make up for Date Night); Mac’s Shack in Wellfleet (best fried seafood on the Cape). And an indulgent brunch snack at Provincetown’s Portuguese Bakery (kale soup, malassadas, and sweet potato turnovers to die for).

I read several books: the sheep detective story Three Bags Full, River of Darkness – a suspense/mystery set in post WWI Britain, and my annual bit of beach self-indulgence, See Dephi and Die, yet another Lindsay Davis Falco novel. Of these three River of Darkness was by far the strongest, with a well plotted mystery, intriguing characters, and a strong sense of place/time. Three Bags Full was quite breezy and entertaining for a murder mystery. Seeing the sheep confront human behavior was very amusing. The Davis book however was one of the author’s weakest. The main character suffers extreme lack of opposition and foils in this one, amusing just because by now the setting and cast are so familiar.

And yes – I did knit. Lots. I brought three projects, the Kyoto, my Truro blanket and my green tablecloth. I am almost finished with the Kyoto’s sleeves. Blocking and assembly (and pix) will soon ensue. My tablecloth grew by about five rows. I didn’t do anything on the blanket, chiefly because I have mislaid the exact needles I was using. They’re an in-between size, an older set somewhat between 2.5 and 2.75mm I didn’t like the variant gauge I was getting with standard 2.75s and I didn’t have any 2.5s with me in my bag.

So there you have it. One well rested/well fed but slightly bruised knitter. With vacation laundry and that 51 week infinitude stretching out ahead…

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