Memorial Day week-end 2005

I had people to hang out with visiting in my home area, as expected. Also, a large, loud group moved in next door to party, managing to take up every inch of available space outside the door. Their new boat took up two car spaces... dogs, skateboards, loud music, beer, ...

Our group of five adults and two infants took a foot excursion as tourists around our own village Saturday. It was quiet uptown for the first summer holiday. The high fuel prices are probably affecting travel. For Memorial Day most folks are tied up with plans of veterans activities, parades, and festivities which may keep them close to home. The glorious sunshine shown for the first time in over a week and outside was finally warm! We ate lunch at the pier taffy and eats, where one of us had a first job. The place is up for sale or closing this year. It was strangely uncrowded at noon.

Sunday we drove to Falmouth and hopped the Island Queen ride across to Martha's Vineyard. I've lived on the Cape my entire adult life, but never made it onto the island before, because of other people's descisions. I've been tortured over the decades since teen-hood with repeated boat rides around it... well, cross that one off the "Never" list! I'd like to go back again and do more. I figured this would be the least crowded week-end until late next fall, and actually, the traffic and crowds weren't bad. The weather was still warm and sunny, although elsewhere in Massachusetts it was reported to be overcast. Such good timing! We walked aound Oak Bluffs, then had lunch. See "Island Food review" (future post) for more decriptive details of that experience, (I promised to write up a report as a public service). Lets just say, some places need to get their tourist act together soon!

So now the week-ends over, the loud people won't return for a couple more weeks, and I'm alone once more, except for the roofers who started the house next door this week, only ten feet away from my windows. Great, the birds and squirrels are still in hiding and I have to close my windows and curtains now that it's warm enough to open them! Have I mentioned I've developed claustrophobia as a result of living in this tiny apartment yet? It's much more difficult to write with all the noise, I notice. My other great annoyance last week resulting in no new postings was the nasty rain which messed up my phone and online connecting conduit again. As you see, I'm back with a vengence now.... making up for lost time.