OFF AGAIN

Since I'm leaving in the morning and may not have time to post I thought I'd write tonight and leave you with something to read while I'm gone. I don't know how much havoc I'll be able to wreak this weekend, TC... but I'll see what I can get into.

Forgot to wish all you Canucks a very happy and safe Canada Day. How do you celebrate the holiday up there?

When we were on the Vineyard, the weather was terrific. The sun came up at an ungodly 5:30 am and no, I didn't get to watch a sunrise while I was there. My bad. Did however, get to witness some beautiful sunsets. And the moon... One night Kate and I were outside on the porch which looked out over a small harbor. I noticed a red light pretty high up in the sky. It seemed too high to be on a boat or something. I kept watching it and it seemed to get bigger and bigger. I pointed it out to Kate and we were both like, what the hell. Over a period of a few minutes, it got bigger and oranger. More orange, rather. Then it split in half sideways, horizontally. Then we realized we were looking at the moon and it had been behind a cloud. Definitely a "duh" moment for both of us... When the cloud moved, it was gorgeous. Never saw the moon that color.

We were invited to have cocktails with Kate's cousins who live on the island. John and Lois are retired and have an awesome little place on Crystal Lake. From their deck you can look out over a small lake and then the big water. Made for a spectacular sunset. We spent a lovely evening there with them. We went for cocktails yes, (I had my first Gin and Tonic which John made wickedly potent) but they put out a snack spread to behold! We gorged ourselves on fresh cut vegetables with a simple, delicious dip of sour cream and chives from their herb garden. There were grapes, cheeses, crackers, shrimp cocktail, olive hummus, tortillas, and sushi. The last, which I tried for the first time. And probly the last too. Not my cup o' tea. Which surprised me, I thought I would like it. I wanted to like it. I could not like it. There are only a few things in the world (ok, in America anyway) that I don't eat. Those things are: salmon cakes, peaches out of a can, and anchovies. And if you forced me, I could choke down any of those. Limburger cheese, however; I would run screaming from limburger cheese. Add sushi to that first list.

The food and drink was great but the conversation was something else. Kate's cousins are, I believe, born entertainers and story tellers. The kind where you hang on every word. And laugh, my goodness. John is very eloquent and colorful. After a drink or two he is downright outrageous. He was a music professor and had some great teaching experiences. Lois has a rather dry sense of humor and plays very well off John's rantings. They are delightful, warm and showed us a great evening.

The knee is feeling better. I slept for awhile this evening and gave it a rest. Poopy can't get over how I got my knee between the door and the dashboard. But he didn't blink an eye today when we were carrying groceries in from the car and somehow I ended up with the door decoration balanced on the back of my head. My hands were full, I was trying to hold the door for him. Next thing I knew, the platter-sized painted wooden cut-out of a basket of flowers was on my head. It stayed there until I got to the top of the steps and could put the groceries on the counter. ... I don't know...

K, have a good weekend and I'll try not to break anything.