Eat, drink, and be ... Mary?

So, finally, it's Friday. I've got loads of serious topics banging around in my head, but no time today to get them sorted out enough to post them. Besides, as mentioned, it's Friday.

And while I'm still trying to work through the disappointment of Hillary Clinton stepping out of the battle for the Democratic nomination, there is a great wall women did manage to push down this week: For the first time, the Top Chef is a woman! Stephanie, honey, you can cook for me anytime!


But wait! There's more! One of my favorite stops on my Friday blog travels is Dorothy Surrenders, writen by the snarkolicous Dorothy Snarker. She posts a weekly "My Weekend Crush," and who would it be this weekend but the equally adorable Iron Chef Cat Cora! Yay for foodies!

As Dorothy writes:

I particularly love it when Cat competes against the boys. Sometimes she wins, sometimes she loses. But what she proves is that women can go toe-to-toe with the culinary elite. Good food knows no gender. It’s ironic, really, that the rarefied world of haute cuisine should be so dominated by men. Women are, after all, most associated with cooking. But, of course, that’s just home cooking so that doesn’t count. Well, screw that. A woman’s place doesn’t have to be in the kitchen. But that doesn’t mean she can’t run one and be damn good at it.

Where did the week go?

Well, that's just about it. Tomorrow we check out of Provincetown to spend one evening with friends in Jamaica Plain, and then it's back home again. Monday I'll be back at work and our vacation will be but a fond memory. Fortunately, we've found a "Summer Place" to rent next time.

For the first time all week, it's drizzling now, and we're trying to decide whether we should venture back down to the town center for one last evening "on the town." It's been pretty slow all week, which we have actually found to be quite enjoyable. So once again it's been confirmed: we're old farts. Tonight begins "the season," though, as it's "Single women's weekend" here. So it could be pretty fun to go get a drink somewhere ....
Not that we haven't been busy today. Unnamed Partner finally got her lobster, and I had some great scallops and mussels. Which must be accompanied by a glass of good beer. It's a good thing we've done so much walking this week, because I don't even want to think about how many calories we have consumed ....

It's been a difficult spring for us this year, with U.P.'s younger brother passing away just a few weeks ago from pancreatic cancer. We had planned this trip months ago, and the timing of it has turned out to be incredibly fortuitous. Getting away from the stresses of everyday life, seeing amazing sights such as the sunset at Herring Cove, Humpback whales, the waves crashing at the Cape Cod lighthouse in Truro, and hearing the coyotes howl -- all of these things somehow keep things in perspective. Life and death and all that comes between -- such fantastic miracles that we too often miss in our daily rush to get to the office.

So next week, the politics of the presidential election will once again be on my mind, but for a few more hours, I'm going to breath deeply.

Now, about that drink ....

Vacation ... ya gotta wanna!

Sometimes it really takes a lot of work to get your vacation going. This was one of those times. We out started on a great note, making it to the airport in plenty of time, having a good cup of joe and then ... as we were waiting to board, out of the blue Unnamed Partner whispers to me: "Honey I gotta bad feeling about this flight. " Well, I said "Please, don't tell me this NOW...!" Because honestly, she doesn't say stuff like this to me very often, but she's usually right. Well, this time it turned out to be a harmless but correct premonition. You see, about 20 minutes into the flight the captain announced that "Uh, folks, everything's fine," (uh oh, this can't be good!), "but we have a sensor telling us to return to Baltimore, so we have to go back to the airport and get it checked out." Does an airplane have a "check engine" light? 'Cause that's what it sounded like.

Well, we went back to Baltimore, de-planed, waited at the gate while mechanics checked everything out. Much like a car, the sensor was replaced, and everything was fine. At least we hoped so as we climbed back into the sky on our way to Boston. And actually, everything was fine. Little did we know how much fun lay ahead of us in driving a rental car out of Boston. And we lived to tell that tale, as well.

Fortunately we are in Provincetown and well into relaxation mode now. And as I type, I am sipping on a nice cold Bass ale, with a belly full of good food and a face flushed from sun and wind. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon. As you can see from the photo, we did have a sunny day today, so we spent most of the day outside. We heard a rumor that the Pilgrim Monument was free on Sunday mornings, so headed up there this morning around 10. The rumor was false, but after some cajoling with the man selling tickets that we should get the Mother's Day freebie because we have been called mother*#$^&*@, he gave us the student discount. The view from the top of 116 steps (and 60 ramps) is indeed stunning. And if you hold onto the railing at the top you can actually stand in the wind and see it.

After hiking to the top, we were ravenous. We drove around semi-aimlessly looking for a place to park, and stumbled on a restaurant recommended by blogger Suburban Lesbian Housewife Sara, called Bubala's by the Bay. (Thanks Sara!) We loved the calamari and the lobster & asparagus omelet. And the most incredible salad dressing ... EVER! OMG!

Then we had to work off our lunch with a walk along the main strip of Commercial Street. If you haven't been here before, there are many "colorful" people (although very few people of color). But one character we've run into several times (even in the grocery store) is Ellie, the 76-year old trans "Living the dream" (we know that 'cause her sign says so), which seems to be to sing torch songs in the public square. Whatever the dream, she has an excellent voice and a great smile. If possible, we'll try to post a photo of Ellie before the week is up.

The wind died down mid afternoon, so we went for a stroll on the beach. Unnamed Partner took this picture of me, which I think would be suitable for a book jacket. So now I have to write a book. Darn it.

However, Unnamed Partner liked this photo to the right better, because I look more like a Lands End catalog model. (She has high standards.)

We found some beautiful shells along the beach, and here is a special treat: Unnamed Partner has actually allowed me to post her picture! (The fresh sea air must have gone to her head! She's so relaxed, who knows what's in store for me this week!)