Our Vacation, Epilogue

Photographic proof of nothing but non-stop fun at scenic  

Cape Cod, Massachusetts:

Our Vacation, Part Ten

By rights, we could stay one more night at the Cape. But years ago, we found it wasn't worth it. By the end of vacation, we're all tired and ready to head home. The times we stayed the extra night, we found that between being pushed to pack up and leave by check-out time, and the nightmarish traffic, it made an already grueling trip that much worse.

Back at the old cottage, when the kids were little, we would walk down to the end of the road, down some timber stairs and visit the pond we never swam in- just to say goodbye before we left. This is the same pond we would say hello to when we first arrived. After that goodbye visit, we would finish packing up the van- which back then meant cramming it full of all the crap we bought- mostly at every Christmas Tree Shop on the Cape, before heading out. On our way, we  would stop to eat out before going home.

This year was a little different. This year, we made an attempt to go to Mayflower Beach in the morning  before leaving. Even though we left at what would be the usual time to go to our beach, apparently this is way too late if you want to go to the Mayflower Beach. Traffic was backed up all the way down the road and was being diverted away from the parking lot. This happens at our beach too, but usually not until mid-morning or so.

Since Mayflower was out of the question, we backtracked the couple of miles to our usual beach, where we spent the next couple of hours with just our towels and no tent. It felt weird not to have the tent with us. It felt like we snuck away without an old friend. But we were traveling light and didn't intend to be there long. And we weren't.

It was turning out to be a beautiful day, but we were ready to go home. There was one last, brief stop at the Pottery Place, before we headed back to the cottage to finish packing up.

The roof carrier that looked so deflated when we left for our vacation was now straining against the zippers, trying to burst open. The back of the van was loaded, not only with our luggage, but also the remaining food and about four tons of private real estate, in the form of rocks that we collected from the beach. We barely managed to close the back of the van and somehow squeezed everybody in, before leaving to return the key to the cottage.

This year there was no stopping at the restaurant as in years past. Like so many other places, the restaurant we used to go to was no longer there. Instead, since we realized we had about six cubic inches of free space that we hadn't anticipated, we made another stop at a Christmas Tree Shop. It seems there was some one of a kind hand lotion that they might have and since we had just about enough space to accommodate a bottle of hand lotion, this made perfect sense. Unfortunately, they didn't have any, so for good measure, we stopped one more time at Barnes and Nobel, just because that lotion-size empty space in the back of the van was bothering us, and we figured, why not plug it with a book instead? Once that had been taken care of, we got gas and headed home.

Not eating at a restaurant before we left the Cape meant that we were leaving slightly earlier than usual. This also meant that we didn't hit the crush of rush hour traffic at our usual hour into the trip. Instead, we hit it at about an hour and three quarters into the trip. This happened at the more convenient, "You feel you're so close to home, and a bathroom, that you can almost taste it" time (taste home, that is, not the bathroom). But it would be another hour and a half or so before we finally arrived into town.

It always seems a little strange getting back home after we've been away. Entering the closed up house, it feels cooler than normal. Going through the stack of mail can be both exciting and depressing. When the kids were younger, they would dig through to see if their class assignments had arrived for the soon to begin school year. That's another one of those things that was a long time ago.

Unloading the car takes so much less time than loading it, especially when you have so much help. Luggage and mementos and rocks are shuttled into various locations in and out of the house. And laundry, tons and tons of laundry, gets stacked against the washer where it will be whittled down little by little over the coming week(s).

The nice thing about leaving early and getting home on a Friday is that you have a whole weekend ahead of you; a whole weekend to mow your lawn and pay bills and go grocery shopping and to get back to the reality of what your life is really about. It gives you time to deal with the anxiety of having to go back to work in a few days, and the time to reflect on the week you just had, and to think about just how lucky you were to have had it. But mostly, it gives you the time to slow down a little for the first time since you left. And it gives you the time to go through all the of the pictures you took while you were on vacation, so you can figure out just what it was you did the past week and why it was so great.

Our Vacation, Part Nine

Today would be our last full day of vacation and that meant that whatever we wanted to do, it was "now or never". We had packed a lot in in the past week and there wasn't a whole lot left that we hadn't done already, but there was plenty that we wanted to do again. Despite a forecast the said it would be partly cloudy at best, we decided to hit the beach one more time.

Arriving at the near empty parking lot a short time later, we hauled our stuff down to the beach, and with some hesitation, set up our tent on the again soaking wet sand. We had our routine down pat- laying out the blanket, unfurling of the tent and setting it away from the hoped for sun, the kids scouring for rocks to put in the tent pockets, arranging the coolers and beach bags and towels, and finally, strategically placing the buckets and toys to stake out and extend our territory. All of this was executed flawlessly after years of practice. And with everything in place, Sam again hauled out his trusty metal detector while most of us headed down the shore to once again pillage a few more rocks.

It seemed foolish to even be attempting the beach on a day like this. The sky was covered with a high fog which colored everything grey. Looking out over the water, the arm of the Cape that extended off to the east was completely hidden and it was hard to tell where the water ended and the sky began. We weren't planning to spend the whole day so if it started to rain, it wouldn't be a huge loss. But it would be a loss just the same.

It was striking how big the waves were, and there was a steady offshore breeze- both remnants from last night's storm. I hadn't seen waves like this since the kids were little. Back then, I would hold their sides and help them jump over each incoming wave. In some ways, that was a long time ago. In some ways, it was just yesterday.

We crossed the border onto the strangely deserted private beach and made our usual haul of treasured rocks. I can only assume that the natives were staying away due the threatening skies- keeping safely within the confines of their oceanfront cottages as they spied us through their binoculars, while having their spouses call the Beach Patrol to remove the offending rift-raft (i.e.: us) from their property. This was only a guess, but having seen the demeanor of these people earlier in the week, I think it was probably accurate.

As we wandered back to the tent, the offshore breeze had managed to disperse what remained of the early morning fog, exposing an almost cloudless sky. Soon, the sun was beating down, but the breeze kept things cool. Rachael took to building her traditional sand castle before joining the others in a game of Frisbee. Remarkably, even Sam put down his metal detector long enough to join in. Eventually, everyone returned to the shore where the girls took up their positions stretched out on their towels. Sam and I went up to the swings for a bit of distraction before we came back down so he could resume his treasure hunting. Jake and I went for another walk.

There is a back path to get onto the beach that winds through the dunes and the brush and the woods. Jake and I "discovered" this years ago and I have come to think of it as our own. We've spotted rabbets up here and once or twice, bluebirds. Jake found some unusual acorns this year that I'm pretty convinced grow nowhere else in the world but here. This year, we also came upon a bench that someone had thoughtfully placed at the high spot on the dunes.

Occasionally, we'd run into other people using our trail. We've never stopped them to ask them who they were or what they were doing there. We've allowed them to go on their way figuring, hey, we're all on vacation, let's allow them this small pleasure. I, at least, always felt pretty good about myself for being so generous and giving. We spent some time walking the path and exploring and sitting on the bench before deciding to head back to the tent.

At the tent, we unpacked our lunch of sandwiches and grapes and fruit punch. A little while later, we had our second lunch of chicken nuggets, french fries and onion rings from the snack bar- all deep-fried to perfection as only a college student working a part-time summer job at a beach shack could prepare it.

After lunch, I waited for Sam to find a few more coins before it was time for us to leave.

Back at the cottage, everyone took their showers and after a few more cartoons, we decided to go to the Pottery Place to take a look around and maybe get something that we had debated on earlier in the week. Sam and Jake had some kind of dust-up earlier, due to something I can't remember. I'm sure being tired played an underlying role in whatever it was. We were reaching a point in the vacation where we knew it was almost time to go, and it was met with mixed emotions- part of you was ready to go home, to sleep in your own bed, and I'm sure for the others at least, to have the freedom to go where you wanted, when you wanted, and with whom you wanted. But the other part doesn't want to let go and wants more time. That, I think, is the part in me.

We wrapped up our visit at the Pottery Place, buying a  mug for each of the kids to be held for a "surprise" Christmas gift- the surprise likely being that I won't remember where I had stashed them by then. We headed back to the van wondering where to go next.

By now, it was late afternoon- too early to give up and head back to the cottage, but too late to get involved in a drawn out activity. Since it was approaching an early dinnertime, and since we were still on vacation, we made a second trip to the Sundae School and had ice cream one last time. From there, we headed for a quick visit to Craigville Beach.

It had been close to twenty years since we were last at Craigville Beach. We came one time in the off season, in March. Jake was a toddler and the girls- only slightly older than that. Except for only one other person on the beach that day, we were the only ones there. We collected buckets full of scallop shells, some of which fill the lamp on my desk. We hadn't been back since- not so much because it's out of our way, which it is, but mostly because we make a hefty investment in a beach sticker every year and it only covers us for the town we stay in. Craigville Beach is not in that town.

So we drove to Craigville where it was late enough that we didn't get charged and the beach wasn't especially crowded. We walked the shore and talked about what it was like when we were there those many years ago. But since it wasn't off season, and since the beach wasn't empty, we didn't find very many shells. Still, it was nice to refresh the memories of their youth and hear about what, if anything they remembered. And it was nice to walk the beach that was my Cape Cod many, many years ago.

We headed back to the cottage, first making a stop at the jewelry store where the girls ran in while the boys and I waited in the van. Eventually, Rachael drifted out and the two of us walked to the only nearby store- which happened to be a liquor store. She checked out their selection of beer. I checked out their selection of wine in personal size boxes. I had never seen this before. It seemed to be a clever way to eliminate the need of drinking out of a paper bag. I didn't get anything. Rachael did.

We had a busy, but less hectic day than some of the other days this past week. Back at the cottage, we began to gather up our accumulations from our vacation before finally relaxing. Sam finished his puzzle and enjoyed watching those TV stations that we don't get at home. I played "Cranium" with Helaina, Rachael and Jake. The day finished on a good note but eventually it was time to give up and go to bed. Tomorrow would be a day of packing and tying up loose ends before making the long drive home.

Our Vacation, Part Eight

Wednesday was another break from the beach- both because of the threatening weather as well as the fact that we were still worn out from the day before. The day started with Sam working on his puzzle and watching cartoons while the rest of us gathered our wits and and made plans for the day ahead. Soon, we were all packed into the van, heading off to Hyannis- another one of those places that we've been going to for years.

In Hyannis, despite a torrential downpour, we managed to stop at the candy store, a couple of gift type stores, a CD and poster store, the army surplus store and the sad little arcade, before heading back to the car with our candy and fudge and posters. We didn't stop at the toy store or the rock and mineral store or the min-golf. Not because we didn't want to, but because they're no longer there... which is a big reason we were all done walking around by lunch time.

After a couple of quick stops, we headed back to the cottage to re-group, get a bite to eat and make plans for the afternoon. We decided to head to Chatham.

In the past, visiting Chatham was a trip we made in the morning. Why this was, I’m not quite sure. Maybe it was because it's a little out of our way and a longer ride than it was to some of our other haunts. Back when the kids were small, no matter where we went, we had to allow plenty of time for the ride back so they could unwind before bed. But the kids were older now so we didn't have to feel as pushed for time. That, along with the end of vacation being in sight, made it no time to be nitpicky. So, off we went.

The ride felt longer than I remembered it and the traffic seemed heavier too. When we finally approached Chatham, it became abundantly clear why we used to make the trip in the morning. The place was mobbed. What was the matter with all of these people? Didn’t they realize it had rained earlier? Shouldn’t they all be at the mall? But no, apparently they all decided to go to Chatham instead. We foolishly tried to park where we usually would, but the small lot was havoc. I joined the line of vultures circling for fresh prey, but it was no use. I got spit out onto a side road only to have to follow the road back to the beginning of town, only to try it again. The next time, we tried a different lot and after going through much the same drawn out slow dance, we eventually secured a spot way at the back. And even then, we had to cut someone else off to get it. Normally I would feel bad about this, but this was vacation and I had made a pact with myself not to feel bad about anything until we got back home.

We parked the van and walked what felt like a mile to town, when who should we bump into, but Jake’s ex-girlfriend. What luck! Here we are 150 miles from home, and Jake gets a one in a million chance to see an old friend. I’m a little surprised I didn’t get introduced, but hey, I’m sure I will be next time.

When we made it to Main Street, it was even more packed than the parking lot- which only made sense if I had bothered to think about it. All of those cars had to belong to someone, and in most cases, many someones. Out on the sidewalks, throngs of people scurried mindlessly in every direction. Once we had managed to wedge ourselves into the moving crowd, followed along. We couldn't stop if we wanted to. People would bump into you or push you along. It was like being caught in a tangled mob trying to escape a burning building, only not as fun. If I made it into a store- either on purpose or by accident, I found I couldn’t get out. People would fill the aisles between me and the exit like swollen sponges and the tide of people being pushed in would block the only way out. Finally I would squeeze myself back through the crowd with a litany of insincere "Excuse me's", and spit myself back onto the sidewalk, only to start his cycle all over again.

Fighting our way down one side of the street, we were convinced there must be something worthwhile if we would just walk a little bit further. And I'm pretty sure that once upon a time, there was something more interesting down there. I clearly remember there being a toy shop and a store that sold Christmas decorations. But these stores were long gone and it soon became obvious that we were wasting our time. Even if they were still there, which they weren't, I wasn't in the mindset to enjoy them- not when the only thing going through my mind was How do I get out of here???? All of this only made getting back to the car more excruciating. We should have turned around when we had the chance. But we eventually made it through the gauntlet of tourists and back to the van. I couldn't get out of there fast enough- even though I tried.

We made it over to the Light House Beach where all of this played out again, albeit in smaller scale- the overcrowded parking lot, cars searching for prey, the circling around through side streets. Eventually, we got the van in some kind of a line or a mob or... something- at the far end of the parking lot. Cars were maneuvering and backing up in every direction. We waited what seemed like twenty minutes, but in reality was closer to twenty seconds, before I said,"To heck with this". This beach would have to wait for another lifetime. We broke ourselves out of the knot of vehicles and started to head away, passing the line of parked cars on our right. Just before we got to the end, lo and behold- an empty space! Someone had just pulled out and for once, we were in the right place at the right time. We grabbed the spot. Some people may say that this is cutting in line, but I say it doesn’t count if you don’t make eye contact. And just like the earlier parking space in town, we didn’t make eye contact.

After parking, we went down the stairs and walked the beach, collecting shells along the way. Rachael plopped herself onto the beach fairly quickly, while Helaina worked the shoreline with Jake. Sam and I searched the ridge together. We made it down to the far end of the beach where you can sometimes catch site of the occasional seal. The seal population had grown so much around here that sharks had been spotted all summer long in the area, attracted by the possibility of a seal buffet. This, apparently, had closed the beach to swimming more than once this summer- not that this mattered much to us (the swimming that is, not the seal eating part). We've never gone swimming here, just shell collecting.

The four of us went as far as the end of the peninsula, where we were lucky enough to not only see several seals, but even luckier to not see any half eaten seals being washed up on shore. There's nothing like a dead, bloated seal carcass to ruin a trip to the beach- especially when you're with Sam.

We (that is to say, "I") decided that we had gone far enough. We had already lost Rachael a ways back and the rest of us were getting tired too (plus, I wanted to avoid the possible risk of seeing any aforementioned seal carcasses).

Walking back along the shore, we searched for toenail shells to fill Helaina’s eventual lamp, but for all of this effort, there wasn't much to be found. Even Jake, who usually makes some kind of unusual discovery at this beach, came up more empty handed than usual. Still, I considered it a success since no seals, or any of us, were eaten by sharks. We continued heading back, picking up the occasional shell and eventually picking up Rachael as well.

All of us were pretty well worn out by the time we got back to the van. It had been a long, full day. So... what better time to get ice cream? After all, it was on the way back to the cottage... sort of.

Getting out of town proved to be a little easier than getting into town and after a quiet ride, we arrived at the Sundae School- yet another one of those places we’ve been going to since the kids were small. As luck would have it, we only had to circle around the parking lot once before finding a space to park. After going inside and getting ice cream, we went back out and sat at the picnic table, talking about our day and watching as the parking lot overflowed.

We finished our ice creams and headed back to the cottage, the dusk turning to darkness in the time it took us to drive back. Helaina, Rachael and I went grocery shopping after dropping the others off to relax and unwind. We would soon join them.

It would be another night of not having enough energy for playing games. We ended the day as we started it- worn out. Sam would work on his puzzle again, and later, perch himself in the recliner to once again feast in the bounty that is the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. It wasn’t long before he went to bed. And it wasn’t long until the rest of us went to bed as well.

Thunderstorms rolled in during the night.

Our Vacation, Part Seven

Tuesday we headed out for the beach again, and again we managed to set up in our usual spot. The weather forecast had been talking about the possibility of more rain for the following day but you would never know it by how Tuesday was turning out. If anything, it was even hotter than the day before. If it was going to rain tomorrow I was hoping it would hold off long enough so we could finally play some mini-golf for Sam’s sake.

It was a beautiful beach day but it kept bothering me that it might rain tomorrow. I was thinking about this as Sam dutifully swept the area around our tent for the occasional coin. Finally, I decided we better change plans. If we stretch out the day at the beach and if it rains on Wednesday, this would put off the mini-golf until Thursday and that’s a lot to ask of Sam. So, we wrapped it up early and headed back to the cottage to get cleaned up.

It was mid-afternoon on a still beautiful day when we headed off to play golf. For years, we played in the center of Hyannis, just as I had when I was small. But when we arrived in that town a few years back, much to our dismay, the mini-golf was gone. In it’s place was a large, blokish store selling beach paraphernalia. How unique- there aren't very many of those at the Cape. Anyway, since then, we’ve gone golfing at a place called “Skull Island”.

It turned out to be a smart idea to leave the beach early. First of all, the family was reasonably rested, so having to play a game while anyone was grouchy seemed unlikely. Secondly, when we went in to get the clubs and balls, there was no crowd. Normally, we would have to wait in a line (actually more like a mob) as we waited to play, and the only thing worse than playing mini-golf with a grouchy crew is a playing with a grouchy crew after waiting in a loud, sweaty "line" only to end up in front of another grouchy crew breathing down your neck throughout the whole course. But without a crowd, we seemed to be in the clear on that score.  Everyone was in a pretty good mood. But still, sometimes even in the best of moods it’s not unusual for some of us to get tired or bored somewhere near the last third of the course. This is usually announced with a “...whatever”, as someone’s ball continues to roll past the hole with each stroke. Pretty soon, strokes are approaching double digits and then balls are being directed into the hole with a foot before they move on to the next hole dragging their club behind them. But there was none of that this time. It went pretty well.

From mini golf, we went to get something to eat- our second and last dining-out experience while on vacation. This time, it meant sitting around a table outside and eating things like chowder and cole slaw and fried clam strips and drinking soda. I don’t remember what anyone else had.

Tonight would be game night so we headed back and once again flopped down at the cottage and settled in for a low key evening. I was going to consult the to-do list but figured I would wait until after we played some games. Sam made himself at home in the recliner and again watched Spongebob (I think it was the one where Plankton was trying to steal the krabby patty formula). Helaina, Rachael, Jake and I played "Catch Phrase" up until bedtime.

Making plans for tomorrow would have to wait for tomorrow.

Our Vacation, Part Six

Though it was only Monday, there was a sense of trying to make up for lost time when it came to going to the beach. Even though it looked rainy and the weather forecast was predicting an iffy day, we packed up and headed to our usual spot. On the nearly empty beach, we set up our tent and spread out the blankets in the sand, which was still damp from the rain the day before. It wasn’t too long after we arrived that the clouds burned off and the the weather turned hot and dry. And it wasn't long after that until the beach became more and more crowded and our space was slowly being encroached upon by strangers, who for some odd reason selfishly felt that this was their beach too. I hate those kinds of people.

Most of the day was spent walking the beach and exploring the rocks and making plans for later in the day. Maybe we would do some more shopping in the afternoon. Maybe we would squeeze in some mini golf as well. There was still a lot to do, but for now, it was fun to walk along and explore the beach and our options.
When it was time to go, we did what we've done every other year, which was to stop at the snack bar to get ice creams before heading back to the car. The snack bar has been completely rebuilt since we were last here and apparently they plan on refinancing the construction solely on what they're charging for the ice creams. I miss that old snack bar.

More shopping came later that day: a stop at KMart (because nothing says “Welcome to Cape Cod” like shopping at Kmart) and then, for something completely different, we made a quick stop at another Christmas Tree Shop! Like shopping at the other Christmas Tree Shops, we came away nearly empty handed. This time though, I chalked it up to the madhouse it must have been earlier in the day, when the weather was presumed to be bad. I can’t remember whether shopping on a rainy day at the Cape is the fourth circle of Hell or the fifth circle of Hell, but if you’ve ever lived through it, you know it’s whichever one is worse. As a result of the rainy day mayhem, the shelves were in even more disarray than usual, and depending on which employee you looked at, they either had that wide-eyed “don’t hurt me” look, or they had a look that suggested they were going to hurt you. They looked exhausted and we were getting there too.

Maybe mini-golf wasn’t the best idea right now. One thing I’ve learned from past vacations is that when people are tired, doing anything competitive is not too smart. In the past, if people were tired, we would tend to get about halfway through a game before it devolved into arguments about scores and how many strokes the other person had. Pretty soon you would just be trying to get through the course before people started hitting each other with their putters.

We would do mini-golf another day.

We headed back to the cottage to have dinner and, with the exception of heading back to Hyannis to retrieve Helaina’s forgotten change purse, we laid low for the night. Sam worked on a jigsaw puzzle and watched TV. I re-learned how to play Egyptian Rat Screw and rapidly lost to Rachael and Jake while Helaina watched. It wasn't long before we all headed off to bed.

Our Vacation, Part Five

Sunday was our first full day on the Cape. The day started off cloudy and the weather was lousy, so it was going to be a day of shopping- at least to start out with. Like all of our "Shopping Days" of years past, we began the day at The Penny Candy Store. This visit, like the visit to the Christmas Tree Shop the day before, was strangely less hectic than in years past. That's not to say it wasn't fun or interesting, just more low key. From there, it was over to the mall. It was still fairly early in the day so we were able to find a parking spot in under an hour. This trip, like all of the past trips, started with browsing around Barnes and Noble, where, in their discount book section, you can find answers to all of life's most puzzling mysteries: Bigfoot, unsolved mysteries, relationships... it's all there- for $7.98 each or less. I bought a book of trivia.

We split into two teams to cover the rest of the mall more efficiently. That is to say, Jake, Sam and I covered the mall while the girls made it through one store (actually, it could have been two, but still...) We all met in the food court for lunch, delighting in the delicious bounty that only a mall food court can offer. It's always nice to be able to eat out when you're on vacation, and what better place to enjoy one of your dining out experiences than right there at the mall; enjoying a meal while accompanied by the background music of the indoor merry-go-round behind you. After feasting on some chicken-like substance, we gathered our stuff and left for another shopping adventure.

By now, the morning rain had tapered off and this opened up more options as for places to go. We weren't in beach mode at this point, so we doubled back and headed to the Pottery Place. The Pottery Place is a great place to stroll around and relax. Tucked back in the woods, it feels like a cross between a meditation retreat and an art museum. Depending on your mood, it lends itself as much to contemplation as it does to buying pottery. Jake and Sam occupied themselves by the goldfish pond while I and the others browsed around the displays of this year's creations. We ended up spending a good bit of time here, but we left empty handed- with the intention of coming back later in the week. Delaying a purchase here is always a risky proposition because everything they produce is one of a kind. If you find something you like but leave it behind, there's no guarantee that it will be there if you come back. But I guess that's true with most things in life.

We headed back to the cottage to regroup, relax a bit, consult our to-do list, and to make plans for the evening. For most of us, relaxing at the cottage meant collapsing in a bed or a chair, vegging out or reading a book. For Sam it meant watching cartoons, in this case, Spongebob (I think it was the one where Spongebob and Patrick are annoying Squidward). The folks who owned the cottage had TV channels with networks that people have actually heard of, unlike me, who only springs for the sub-sub-basic cable tv package.  This, along with mini-golf, is what "vacation" means to Sam.

After a quick bite to eat, and with everyone eventually rested (or as close as you can allow yourself when you're on a tight schedule) we headed to another Christmas Tree Shop, and then it was off for an evening stroll on Mayflower Beach.

Mayflower is on the bay side of the Cape, almost directly north across the arm of land from the Windy Beach, and it contrasts with the Windy Beach in many ways. The Windy Beach is a couple of steps away from the road and it greets you head-on with a continuous wind and the immediate water that beats against the coarse sand in perpetual waves. At the Mayflower Beach, you walk between soft, sandy dunes before you get down to the shore. When the tide is out, the beach stretches before you in long, flat plains, dotted with large tide pools that lead up to the ocean.

On this dusk of our first full day at the Cape, this is where we found ourselves- walking the beach, the low water slowly lapping back onto the shore where it would eventually reclaim the small islets that stood between the tide pools. We walked the long shore, unconsciously retracing our paths from vacations of years past. We re-lived the day and laughed and talked and made plans to play some games when we got back to the cottage later that night. The clouds that had been with us most of the day were finally breaking apart, just in time to reveal one heck of a sunset.