Off to the Beach...

Joe and Lisa both had to work in the morning, so I had the task of driving the four kids to the beach in Mattapoisett. Luckily it had stopped raining and the path back to the freeway took us through some lovely countryside. Their charming cottage was just a block from the beach in a area with no thru traffic; they said the terrain in this area is quite similar to Cape Cod without the craziness that comes with the influx of tourists. They’ve only owned the house for a short time and are in the process of updating it; the new oven and indoor shower had both arrived but weren’t hooked up yet. Of course, no one complained that we had to eat out or use the outdoor shower, which was fantastic. Shortly after we arrived, Lisa joined us and we headed down to the beach, which was really beautiful.

A Detour to Massachusetts...

Planning this summer’s itinerary was complicated already, but then I had the crazy idea of taking a detour to Massachusetts to visit some folks that we met in April while scuba diving in Bonaire. It was a risk for both families because we really didn’t know each other well, but it was a risk worth taking as we had a great time. The original plan was to head straight to Joe and Lisa’s cottage at the beach, but due to torrential rains, they decided it would be better to spend the first night in their home in Rehoboth. It was a really special treat to have a dinner cooked in the Italian pizza oven that Joe built (he even studied masonry for the task). We started with tomatoes and courgettes, then shrimp cooked in cast iron pans, followed by a variety of pizzas. What a great way to cook!

Brunch at Weaver Street...

Another home leave tradition is going to Weaver Street Market in Carrboro for their jazz brunch. Unfortunately, due to some early morning rain, the band was cancelled, but we still enjoyed the delicious food. I didn’t manage to get to a hash while in town, so was extra happy that a few hash friends (Carolyn H., Jim and Suzanne with little Celia) were able to join us.

We were thrilled that Erika, Rachel and Ben joined us in Carrboro for the first time. There might not have been a band to dance to, but at least the folks were there with their giant hula hoops.

Dinner with the Ladies...

It’s now a tradition to go for sushi with the ladies when I’m in town. Of course, the group varies depending upon everyone’s schedules (unfortunately, both Theresa and Carolyn S. were out of town), but typically there’s several Harriettes (Carolyn H., Jeannette, Anna and Carolyn V.) and some of my scrapbooking buddies (Karen and Debby). This year was a small group, but it was a lot of fun as it was much easier to chat with everyone. Kristine wasn’t able to join us, but luckily was able to meet me for lunch at Neomonde, one of my favorite places.

Local Fun in Apex...

It brought back good memories of gem mining in our backyard when we went to this funny little place in Apex. The kids enjoyed finding polished rocks; Veronica also found an arrowhead among the discarded rocks on the ground. Later in the day, we went to Apex Lake to introduce Rachel and Ben to geocaching.

Our 5-night stay at Erika’s was very relaxing and low-key with several delicious meals courtesy of chef Michael. It was very sweet of Erika to host a swim party at their community pool for some of Veronica’s 3rd grade classmates; Ashlynn was thrilled to see Holly from our old neighborhood. We also enjoyed seeing our old neighbors, Dave and Elise (and really appreciated the loan of Dave’s car), and visiting our house for the first time since the reconstruction. Jon Provost, our contractor, was nice enough to meet me over there for a walk-thru and I was really impressed with his work.

Best Friends...

After Florida, us girls went one direction while Jimmy went another--we headed to Raleigh to stay with Erika and Michael while he went to DC to stay with Jim and Nina. Veronica was especially excited to see Rachel, who’s been her best friend since she was five (her mother Erika is one of my closest friends and her brother Ben is great friends with Ashlynn). One afternoon, I took the girls to the North Carolina Museum of Art. It had a major expansion since our last visit in 2009 and we were very impressed with the new building, which included both of these cool contemporary pieces (the massive one on top was made out of recycled aluminum and copper wire). It was especially fun looking through the Dutch and Flemish paintings in the Northern European collection.

Let the Real Adventure Begin...

The calm of our trip changed abruptly when we arrived at a spring where a local hermit lives. The rental guy failed to mention that this particular hermit was Naked Ed. He had a series of funny signs on the path to the springs, where he’s been hanging out since the mid-80s. He told us that if the kids wanted to get naked, then us adults would have to get naked, too. We appreciated the offer, but kept dressed. While the kids enjoyed swimming in the spring, Jimmy and I explored his hut and had a nice chat with him. Just for the record, despite standing next to him, he was discreetly positioned so I didn’t see him in all his glory. During the next portion of our journey, an electrical storm hit. With two kids in a metal canoe, we quickly tried to get to the side of the river. I stupidly stepped out of the kayak too quickly and managed to fall into the swamp. Later when we pulled over again to get out of the storm, a giant spider settled on my foot. Then when we thought things couldn’t get any stranger, we paddled past a dead deer in the water. While we had a great time, we were all ready to get off the river. Check out the video that Veronica made about our day.