It was time to go back to Cape Cod. I hadn't been back to visit my friends, Alan and David, for 12 years. They were here last March and I realized how much I missed them.
Cape Cod is a special place for me. I used to go out there every Thanksgiving to visit them and the rest of my friends that had moved there. In the off season (any season but summer), it is a quiet place, full of history, old buildings and streets named "Smallpox Road" and "Stub Toe Lane".
I knew that, visiting Alan and David, I would have great meals and non stop fun. I was not disappointed. When I flew in Thursday night, I drove right to the Cotuit Arts Center, where David is the manager. It is the art center for the Cape, with stage shows, an art gallery and nights of music. We saw a one man show at the Black Box Theater. David has been at Cotuit for 3 1/2 years and has made a world of difference, raising the sophistication and professionalism of this community art center to a high standard.
Friday morning the three of us went back to the Art center for a talk on the new art installation. 96 local artists each took an 18 inch square piece of Henri Rousseau's "The Dream" to make it their own. It was impressive and quite beautiful. Tim and Toni, my other Cape friends, met us there and we all went to lunch. I hadn't seen them in so long -- I was going to cry, but they warned me it would start a waterfall.
That evening, we joined other friends of theirs for a Cape style beach party. With a four wheel drive, you can drive right onto the beach. One woman used to own a restaurant and insisted on cooking all the food. Another friend owns an oyster ranch and brought buckets of them, and one of the guys made an incredible salad with avocados, spicy carrots and sprouts. We had cocktails and watch the sunset. It was magical.
Saturday it was off to Provincetown, a historical town right on the tip if the Cape. We had a wonderful day, capped by a spontaneous parade of old cars down the main street.
Sunday I attended a brunch for the patrons of the Art Center at a lovely home -- a buffet complete with wine and a cello player! Then it was time to go.
I can't wait another 12 years to go back.
