Every vacation needs real down time. While it is true that all that beach walking and time out of doors has been just what I needed, by Sunday, what I needed was to prioritize rest and reading. Reading’s ability to beam you up to a different world is a good part of the reason people like me do it in the first place – because dollar for dollar, hour per hour, it’s the most expedient way to get from our proscribed little “here” to an imagined, intriguing “there.” Sara Nelson, So Many Books, So Little Time So like most of…

Not all who wander are lost. J.R.R. Tolkein Friday and Saturday of this vacation were spent walking. That might sound boring, but it can never be so when there are so many places to walk: the beach on the national seashore, the rail trail, the beach in Orleans, the gardens around Highfield Hall, an outdoor shopping mall, the beach beneath Chatham light. Not a dull moment. I have always loved walking. My bestie Maryellen and I used to walk our neighborhood after school every day when we were growing up, and we still love to walk State Street together –…

It’s been five years since I was last on Cape Cod. (You can check out my musings from previous vactations via catagories on the right.) While being so long away is something of a tragedy in my book, I also recognize how very lucky I am to be able to make this trip at all. I’m soaking up every minute of it by revisiting some of my favorite spots. Arts and crafts Yesterday, I drove over to Chatham, which has a terrific Main Street with a seashore / New England shopping vibe – lots of cute stores and galleries that…

Coming up to New England in early May is like going back in time. The trees along the parkways are still in early spring bloom. And I have a lot of history up here – graduate school, first jobs, and fabulous vacations. If the scenery weren’t enough to send me back in time, my playlist triggered lots of memories as well. On the Garden State Parkway, I listened to the incomparable Karen Carpenter, and I can “sing along” to every song. (My family will tell you so can they – because I used to sing them when it was my…