It’s back to work after the long Memorial Day weekend. After a hectic week it was a treat to be invited to join friends for a few days on Cape Cod. The highlight of the trip was a New England Clam Bake where clams, lobsters, corn and potatoes were to be baked in a pit lined with hot stones and seaweed. The process stared early in the morning and the results were tasty even though we did have to ‘finish’ off most of the food on a stove afterwards. Baking on hot stones isn’t as easy as it might sound and while there was a hint of disappointment that the bake didn’t produce fully cooked food, for a first attempt I suspect it will be tried again and I certainly recommend it. The day was a lot of fun.

Although this was a vacation, there was ‘no rest for the wicked’ , so for a long run I looped a lakeside trail in Nickerson State Park. The trip was my first to Cape Cod and I was impressed at just how spectacular the region is. The trail followed a challenging trail that circumnavigated a number of small crystal clear freshwater lakes. A few fishermen were also out in the early morning sunshine but otherwise the place was quiet. For a little under 4 hours I looped the same course, soaking up the peace and warm sunshine, my pace was steady and relaxed. On Sunday we took to the roads, just a short circuit around the neighborhood stopping briefly at an historic cemetery where the retains of victims from a small pox outbreak in 1776 lie, the small collection of slate headstones are tucked away in woodland and now preserved as an historic monument. Yesterday we did take a break and walked on the vast sands overlooking Cape Cod Bay; where I have never seen such large unbroken stretches of sand beach.

The drive home was perhaps, a little longer than we would have liked, but it had been a restful experience and a welcome recharge for tired batteries.