Oh, Christmas Tree, Oh, Christmas tree

Yes, we still have our Christmas tree out on our deck. You can't see the lights very well on this shot but I took it off our deck. Just a little of the tree, an icicle and the wonderful bay on the horizon. I was trying for an artistic look, framing in the cold bay. This is part of my daily view.

I just gotta have art

I loved going to the galleries with Sara. I found this bowl in a gallery. I especially like the glaze which looks a bit like snowflakes. I may just have to go back and pick up my old college hobby of working with pottery. I remember loving it a lot and enjoying how each piece turned out. I know that I gave away many of those 'rustic' pieces but I may go and find the other pieces that I still have in the basement in a box. It is such a fun hobby, and an 'earthy' feeling to sit at a potters wheel and make something with the clay. Then the glazes add another dimension to the experience. Doesn't it sound like fun??? This is a necklace that I bought. I am sorry that I didn't turn the picture first but anyway you get the idea. This necklace is made from stones. It is really different and I liked it.

The glassblower that we saw had some items for sale and I bought this for myself. I have this attraction to jewelry too. I always say that I may not remember the plot of a movie that I saw but I can always remember where I bought a piece of jewelry.

Finally, I bought this watercolor of the town of Wellfleet which is the town where Sara and Leo have their home on the Cape. Good memories.

Valentine's Day

On our last evening we went out to dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day. We started with a great dinner and a nice round table discussion of what makes a good marriage.

Doesn't this dessert tray look delicious? This was the final course of our meal. We loved every bite. After the dinner we went to the movies to watch Crazy Heart. It was a good movie which followed the theme of Love but just not easy love. While walking into the movie theater in a small town on the Cape, Bud and I ran into someone we knew. Isn't that a very surprising coincidence??? We met this man on our trip this past fall. He was our representative from the Smithsonian and one of our speakers. That goes to prove that it truly is a small world.

I wanted to take a few pictures of the house on the Cape. It is a great place with a terrific view. We both didn't expect that the house would be this big. It is a very comfortable place to visit with 3 bedrooms and baths, a very open kitchen and dining room, at nice cozy TV room and a separate living room that serves a a quiet room to read. We felt blessed to spend this special time with Sara and Leo. It felt wonderful to relax together and check out the sights. I love having a picture in my mind of their surroundings.

Check out the little red bird on the deck. This is the view of the house from the back yard.

This is the view from the back deck. I was also pleasantly surprised by the surroundings. It is a quiet place that adds to the relaxing feeling. I can see why people love to visit here. The surroundings are calm and relaxing and the hosts are most gracious.

Home

We made it home today about 4:30. The flights were on time and uneventful. I will post some more pictues tomorrow. It was a great little break and a terrific chance to spend a little time with Sara and Leo. We both had a wonderful time.

Provincetown and the birthday boy

OK, Now I did it again. I need to remember that I need to start at the bottom of my pictures and go backwards for choosing my pictures so the story is backwards. Sorry.We bought chocolates from a wonderful shop in Provincetown so that we could celebrate Leo's birthday while we are here. We had terrific choices.

The dinner table has been set for the Birthday dinner. A simple dinner of lobster and Bruschetta. For those of you who haven't tasted bruschetta it is thinly sliced bread that is toasted and topped with some wonderful spreads that we picked up at the Atlantic Spice Company. We chose sun dried tomatoes, a spiced feta cheese spread, and a chopped olive spread. They were all great but the most popular was the sun dried tomatoes.
Sara and Leo did a great job with the lobsters.
Here Sara is toasting the bread. It was fresh when we picked it up at the market.
Sara and Leo are indulging in some raw oysters.Double double, toil and trouble. These lobsters tasted great.

Sara was the brave one to drop the lobsters into the pot.
Provincetown from the pier.
This is a famous little garden in Province town.
We went gallery hopping in Provincetown. We saw wonderful art but bought very little. It was a fun day of looking though.

footprints coming and going

I still don't have this uploading pictures in order correct just yet so this group of pictures is backwards once again.

This is a sunset shot over the bay near their house. The tide was out and the sun was setting after a wonderful day here together.

After our lunch we went to a nearby glassblowing gallery. It was very interesting to watch this man and his assistant make this vase. The art was a bit too expensive for us it was fun to watch. He does weekend lessons/workshops. If I lived here I would add glassblowing to my list if things to learn. However, it was just fun to watch an artist create.
Footprints coming and going in the sand. Right after lunch we took advantage of the wonderful sun and went to the beach for a walk in the sand. I love the sound of the surf. The sun was on our backs when we set off down the beach but the wind was in our faces. After a while we turned around and headed back to the car. Just before we left the beach all of us gathered some larger stones for the garden here at the house. Now two more Michiganders have left a little mark on the sand and in the garden. The tide will come in and wash away our footprints but the rocks will mark our spots for some time.

This morning Sara and I went into the local market to pick up a few things and then were drawn into a local gallery where we spent about and hour checking out the local art. I can spend hours in galleries and always enjoy the talents of their works. I managed to find a few trinkets that will remind me of this adventure.

Last evening we had a wonderful dinner at a new place, highly recommended by some of the advertisements. It was a great meal. I had local scallops for my entree. Sara and I had walked for 2 miles in the afternoon so we indulged in dessert. The conversation around the table was interesting and fun. All is well in the world when you can share a wonderful meal with people you love and 'toss around' new ideas. We are having a great relaxing time.

Our first day at the Cape

The walk in the swamp was much calmer and the trees watched over us, 'dancing' as we walked through their territory this cold day here in the Cape.

It was a cold spot near the beach but always a good opportunity to take a picture.

We went for a drive today. The surf was wild blowing us and crashing against the beach. It was cold but the sound was wonderful.