Vacation by the Days

That little guy spent a few mornings next door to our house romping around. He had a bright bushy tail and was very cute! He had a little friend-a gray fox-who didn't show himself for this picture. (Thanks Kyra for catching him!)

Last week was relaxing. Our house was literally right on the beach and though we couldn't actually use the beach due to mounds of seaweed, it was lovely. Waking up to the sound of waves crashing to the shore is so wonderful.

When Mo, Callie and I arrived at the house last week, the owners walked us through and pointed out the do's and don'ts. Though the owner was very nice, she was also very strange, and after a few minutes, Callie and Mo left me alone so they could go chuckle in private! Once I had the lay of the land, she pulled away just as Linda, Claire and Kyra were pulling in.

Vacation had begun.

If you've never met any bloggers that you've known for years, you might not understand this. Never once did I (or anyone else, I believe) feel like we were strangers. Instead, it felt like we'd known each other forever and were getting together for a reunion. Everyone on this vacation is JUST like they are on their blog-only better in person because you can hear their laughter, see their mannerisms and best of all, hug them.

Saturday night we threw Linda a surprise party-though we're still not sure how she didn't know about it! I made what I thought would be her favorite dinner-Mexican night-and brought a Coffee and Kahlua cake that I'd made the night before. We laughed and celebrated being together and stuffed our faces full of yummy food-if I do say so myself. As you can see from the photo of Linda in last nights post, she enjoyed her party.

Sunday's weather wasn't too great. In fact, it was down right yucky. It was chilly and VERY foggy. After a lazy morning of lots of coffee, we made our way over to Iggy's Clam Shack for some fried goodness and chowder. After our bellies were full, we went over to the Point Judith Lighthouse and took some photos.

Monday-to be honest, I don't remember specifically what we did. I think we just hung around and enjoyed each other's company. I do remember this being a VERY windy day. I think that this was also the night that all of us (minus Claire who stayed home for some peace and quiet and to catch up on reading) went to the Casino. First we stopped at some old cemeteries in Linda's town though, which was fun-even for me who hates dead people. I did get skeeved out when I had to walk over the graves and the earth would sink a bit, but I got over it fast. As for the casino, we had a HUGE dinner of bbq-which was amazing-and gambled a bit. I came away as the big winner (which is shocking) with a total win of $16.50. Not bad for playing the penny slots!

Tuesday was our Block Island day-and the weather was beautiful. What a difference a day makes! We all piled into our van and made our way to the ferry. Kai and Claire celebrated by sampling the local "Block Island" beer and we all braced ourselves for the 55 minute ferry ride. Once there, we ate lunch and took a taxi tour around the island. After, we split up and walked around the shops, had ice cream or just relaxed. Overall, a nice day. Back to the house for a late dinner and then laughter and drinks...and bed.

Wednesday I got my hair cut. This was a major excitement for me as I needed one for weeks but just didn't have the cash to do so. I went into town while the rest of the bunch hung at the house. Later, Claire and Linda went to town to do a little exploring and shopping, Kyra took a walk, Mo and Callie took naps and I read 1/2 of my new book on the deck with a beer. It was lovely.

Thursday was Cape Cod-we went to Ptown. This was a very long day for me, as I got up at 7am (because I had to blow dry my hair) and drove there and back. We got lost a few times which was frustrating for me. I didn't like the feeling of being the reason why my friends were stuck in the van longer than they had to be. As it was, the trip was over 3 hours-adding time onto that made me feel horrible. Once there though, we stretched our legs and had a nice lunch and walked around the shops. The funny of the day was that Callie didn't know that Ptown was known for embracing the gay community. That girl is FUNNY, let me tell you!! It also cracked us up that she carried a bag with rainbow handles all day without even knowing it.

Friday was fun for me. Linda, Callie, Mo and I went on a little adventure. We met a guy named Aaron who is an incredible artist and who is very funny. He also knows how to inflict pain on some people!! What in the world am I talking about? Tattoos. Callie and Mo both got ink and I got my plum blossom touched up-which, by the way, looks amazing but hurts a lot. I didn't have black on it before which I liked, but it faded and looked like a rash (it's pink). Aaron took a ball point black pen and showed me what it would look like with shading and an outline-instantly I told him yes. I won't give away Callie or Mo's stories, but I'm very happy to have gone through this with them. Linda Loo, of course, took pictures. I'll share them once she gets them together-it might be a while as she took about 800 photos!! (Not just of our tattoos, lol)

Saturday morning we all woke up early and after our coffee we started the cleaning and packing. Sadly, it was time to say goodbye and we split into our groups of 3. Morgen, Callie and I dropped off our van (stressful!!!) and went home for a nap. However, right before vacation, my computer died so I called Dell for help. Turns out, my operating system was corrupt and I had to install it again.

Which means I lost everything on my computer. :( I'm happy I didn't have to buy a new lap top though, but still-that's a lot of photos and songs gone.

After naps and computer stuff, we made our way downtown so those 2 could see some of Boston. It was a beautiful night so we ate outside and walked around the shops at Faneuil Hall. I dragged Mo over to the North End for some pastries (if they weren't good, I think he would have killed me in my sleep for taking him that far!!) and we headed home. Sadly, both are home now, and my apartment is empty.

I do still have one exciting thing left and that's Claire's return to my apartment on Wednesday when we'll be going to a Red Sox game. That should be a fun way to send her off for a long trip back home.

I know you wanted specifics about people and funny things, but honestly, those are mine right now and I want to keep them to myself. I'm sure some will emerge from others in time, and perhaps once I get back into the normal routine again, I will share...but for now, I'd like to remember them quietly, with a smile, while dreaming of being back at the beach...