A Brief Update

Posts have been thin on the ground here lately. Because Cape Cod is a popular summer vacation spot I am working more than usual and have less free time. Tourists outnumber residents 3 to 1 for most of the summer, and that is reflected in the traffic at the Major Retailer where I work. This means our "Christmas Season" actually happens in the summer and lasts three months instead of one! For a variety of reasons we don't seem to have any summer workers to speak of so all of us are pulling more and longer shifts. This means I have less free time than usual, so less time for adventures and less time for fun things to post. This week I don't think I will even get out for an hour on the beach or for a meeting of my Stitch & Bitch, let alone spend my usual hours watching the Tour de France. I've resorted to putting all my scheduled activities on my Google calendar so I can synch up with my phone so I don't forget where I am supposed to be. Hard times indeed!  This is THE big moneymaking season for a lot of local businesses, so I can't really grudge the crowds, but it is nearly impossible to get anywhere quickly, book a haircut or a table at a restaurant, or drive anywhere quickly.

 I thought the tourists would make riding the Cape Cod Rail Trail difficult, but it turns out most of the people who use the trail on their vacation only ride out a few miles on either side of the bicycle rental shops so that has still been enjoyable, if less possible because I have less free time. Of course I had a spill the one day I was free to ride the whole trail (71 miles, if you were wondering), but that is so normal for me I hardly count it except for the ugly looking scabby knee that will take a while to heal. It's a wonderful trail - mostly flat and mostly beautiful, in excellent condition. I will note that while there are several bike shops along the trail where supplies can be purchased you will pay a premium for those items. It's best to check you bag before you head out and buy your spare tubes elsewhere.


I packed a lot of adventure into the Fourth of July once I got off of work, including kayaking on the Bass River. It was Shelley's first time in a kayak, so she and Shana took out a double boat. Boat traffic was heavy on the Bass River that day, but everyone still had a wonderful time in the perfect weather. I am just itching to get my own kayak. One unfortunate kayaker was pursued by a shark off Nauset Beach, which I hope never happens to me. Great crowds of people rushed out there to see the shark - just adds to the holiday atmosphere around here. Afterwards we went on to Falmouth for BBQ and fireworks. Our view of the finale was almost totally blocked by a huge cloud of smoke, so we were all cracking jokes about how beautiful it must have been. We had a big contingent of California Dobberteens in for the week and it was fun to see everyone together.

Still no rain here, (we are down more than 6 inches for the year) but the forecast promises heavy downpours and thunderstorms for the lucky few this Sunday. I'll get a garden post up later this week - there's a lot of activity out there even if I am not home much to see it.




Last weekend we cleaned carpets, so of course the resident cat immediately coughed up a huge black hairball that looked like a giant turd. I'll need to take steps to avoid a repeat performance of that for sure. I had forgotten how disgusting hairballs are. She sleeps in the cupboard ever night and I've taken to calling that cupboard "the bunkhouse". At least she no longer sleeps on the basement stairs lying in wait for some unfortunate passerby. Better cat hair all over my kitchen implements than death on the stairs, although it's a difficult choice.