What I did on my summer vacation

[Sunset off Herring Cove in Provincetown, MA; 8/10/15]

The sun set on another summer vacation last night, though not quite yet on summer itself. There are three more summer weekends left, including the long Labor Day weekend, which falls as late as it can this year, the first Monday of September being the 7th. Still, it was back to work this morning after one week off (plus the preceding Friday, which was spent cleaning house and packing). I felt really sad, even weepy by mid-morning today (luckily I opted to work from home). I like my job, but I was just not ready, not rested enough, not bored enough. Summer vacations need to be long enough, and not overpacked with adventure, so one gets bored and ready to do something useful again.

[Last morning on Cape Cod; 8/12/15]

I was thinking last week that it would be so nice to rent a cottage for an entire week, then come back home and take some day trips and just relax. We'd likely not be able to afford a place right on the beach, but walkable to the beach would be good, too. We've been spoiled staying in rooms with a view. The last couple of years, we had two lovely brief stays in Falmouth overlooking a small beach, Nantucket Sound and Falmouth Harbor, and a few years back two three-night stays in Provincetown's West End overlooking the moors. This year we did extend our stay a bit to four nights and booked a place in North Truro right on the beach, with a view towards Provincetown. It was a short ride to town for dinner and sight-seeing (we could have taken the bi-hourly  bus, but drove instead, finding cheap parking, for more flexibility). We had the lulling sound of waves at night and the somewhat more raucous sounds of Ptown whenever we ventured out.

[View from the motel room porch in North Truro; 8/9/15]

Well, most nights provided the lulling sounds of waves. There was one night of very loud storm surge pounding the shore just outside our sliding glass door, which we had to shut tight against the wind.  We had only one real beach day, but all of it was quite lovely.

[View southward from the porch; 8/9/15 

[View northward, glimpse of Pilgrim Monument in Ptown; 8/11/15]

I was hampered from anything as mildly strenuous as a long walk on the beach because I'm healing from hip bursitis (nice to say "healing from" as it's taken time but does seem to be responding to physical therapy). No renting bikes this year either, which we'd done the last time we were up around Ptown. Slow walks down Commercial Street were enough of a challenge. (Alas, we were too early for the annual gay Provincetown Carnival, with the theme of Candyland this year! One of my favorite games from childhood!) We ate well (too well perhaps), saw the sights, taste-tested at Truro Vineyards, visited a lighthouse and the Chequessette chocolate factory on our one rainy day, and enjoyed our stay. 

Not done with vacation sight-seeing when we got back, on a lark we hopped on a ferry out of Boston out to Georges Island, part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. We had fun exploring the abandoned Fort Warren and the views of the harbor from the old ramparts.

[Boston Light, from Georges Island; 8/13/15]

Anyway, we managed to take lots of photos to remember vacation by. For a quick view, here are the Flickr albums for Provincetown/North Truro and Georges Island.

Comments

[Relatively Retiring]

That looks so beautiful - all of it, and it's interesting to see so many Cornish names scattered along your coast - Truro, Falmouth - the beaches are very similar.
Glad to see that you're healing.

[Leslee]

Interesting. Yes, Truro was apparently named for the Cornish town it resembles. And Falmouth I suppose also for its beach. Of course I do live in the area of the US called New England!