What an amazing combination.  Joining me this time on the Cape are two of the most amazing women I know.  I’m pretty sure you know them by now too.  What a year it’s been for both my Summer Sister Kyle and my best friend Sandra.  But not to worry, they’ve come to the Cape where all is right with the world, if only for a few days, to be with me and my little (ok big) rescue girls Toto and Lina.  I can’t begin to tell you the pleasure it gives me to have them here for the first time in so long.  I just cannot stop smiling at seeing them in the same room at the Cape.

I had a wonderful ride down with Sandra where we caught up on all things big and small.  Kyle would join us later after visiting with her childhood friend in Connecticut, yet another amazing woman who I have the pleasure of knowing.

Kyle and Sandra know each other but not yet well enough to call themselves friends.  They are both the kind of women that can make themselves and others comfortable in any situation and true to form they/we created a relaxed atmosphere of sharing everything from fashion to housing to business to reading to health and wellness that would bring us all closer together.  So amazing are they that even the quiet moments were not the least bit uncomfortable.   I’m reminded of the old saying that the best kind of friend is one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you’ve ever  had.  I have been on the porch with each of these women and now we know we can sit on the porch/beach together and feel the same way.

And of course there would be food and wine.  You’re shocked I know. For many years Kyle and I would find ourselves on the Cape after a logistical free for all that would mean her flying to a few airports and me picking her up at some tiny little airport along the way or driving in separate cars or driving all the way down to me so that we could drive all the way up to the Cape.  Sounds crazy, but so strong was the need to get together for the hug and the face to face how-you-been that we just made it work.  The carrot at the end of the stick was the drop the bags and head to the Squire first night in.

Isn’t it funny that upon arrival I zero in on a wireless modem in the entertainment unit?  I have been begging my friends, the Cronins, to put in wireless for years.  I think they wanted to insure anyone visiting the Cape would not have the distraction of email, internet, and technological blah blah but oh what a pain in the butt it was to drag everything to the Dennis Library to connect.  I have the kind of job that it’s just me doing this little program so it’s to my advantage to check in at least once or twice a week when I’m away.  Being overwhelmed at the end of a vacation by the sorting and answering of email can cause the good effects of that vacation to dissipate into thin air.  So there it was, let’s connect…of course I can’t figure out the pass key and have to drag Terry over to translate. Thank God he recorded the Pat’s game or we would have waiting just a bit longer.   The advantage of wi-fi became evident in the sharing of sites, the checking of Facebook and the overall relief of all of us being able to “lurk”, as Kyle would call it, on what was going on back home.  We would all be able to retain the good effects of this little vacation once we got home.  So once again, thank you Cronins for putting in wi-fi on Willow.

So anyway, we arrived on the Cape pretty close to each other and we dropped the bags, ok maybe we opened the wine and plugged in all our devices first, and piled into the car and headed for the Squire.  The Squire is that place in the middle of Chatham that draws you in and feeds you well.  I feel they have one of the best clam chowdah’s on the Cape.  The draw for Kyle and I has always been the lobster.  We don’t even get changed from the trip because you know you’re just going to be covered in lobster drippings and butter and clam juice up to your armpits and frankly they don’t care what you look like at the Squire.  No amount of sani-wipe will get rid of that smell, although I’ve taken to using the lemon to clean up and that seems a bit more pleasant.   They don’t rush you, probably because you’ve been waiting to be seated for about a half hour. They treat you like neighbors even though they know you’re probably just here on vacation, they wouldn’t chance your feeling unwelcome.  And the lobster is always spot-on delicious.  That is the way to start your vacation on the Cape.  Fully satiated, back to Willow where three women who shared wine, lobster and good conversation could not share another word because they were so exhausted.  I won’t tell you what time it was we all retired to our rooms with our devices and probably all wound up with our reading glasses at the end of our noses sound asleep….

p.s. By the way that is not water in front of Sandra but Beefeater and tonic, just saying….let the girls weekend begin.