ar_wahan | Rare sightings of a sky shark and the Atlantic ar-wahan (Reply)

Wrtiten Tuesday:

This morning I was up first (as is usually the case during summer vacations). Turned on the radio in the house for the first time since our arrival because I wanted to know the weather forecast. Turns out yesterday, Monday, will be the best day of the week. Today was forecast as clouding up and humid, and ditto Wednesday (with chance of showers p.m.) and Thursday.

My reason for the forecast was sparked by an interest we novice kayakers have in returning to the Herring River, in which we ventured downstream last summer. Samurai is now willing to explore upstream, which (from the description in guide book) will be even more interesting than the further-upstream travel on the Pamet River that I was denied yesterday.

When she and spouse finally emerged from their beds, she and I agreed to try the Herring River tomorrow. Today, it being cloudy and windy and she hankering to fly a kite, we would go to the ocean. Spouse wanted to finish reading a book, and then he would check out a pond that supposedly had trout in it.

We rolled into Orleans to find one of their craft and art fairs going on, which attract not just local artists, as we were to discover, but vendors from as far as Florida. To my surprise, samurai indicated an interest in stopping there. (She normally would not be interested.) She found a vendor selling Cool-Wraps, attractive, narrow scarves that can go around your neck and that have interior beads of something that hold coolness from being soaked in cold water for a long time. She bought one ($6, my moola) for her trip to D.C. The advertising said they were good for

Migraines, asthma and hot flashes

Since I know at least three people on my flist who have migraines aggravated or maybe triggered by heat, here is the web site:

www.cool-wraps.com

By the time we got to the National Seashore, the tide was very high and the beach very crowded. So much for kite flying. But we hunkered down, as the tide was on its way out. By 3 p.m., the families with young children in dire need of naps were departing in droves. Lest I sound unkind, in years past, I have been one of those parents! Hence, I knew the pattern.

The tide began to ebb and there was enough room to fly the kite, which is a “sky shark.” Unfortunately, a drop in wind or a downdraft sent the shark into the back of a chair occupied by a boy of about 10. He took it well. We told him he could tell his friends he was attacked by a sky shark at Cape Cod.

I had told samurai that I thought my haircut from last week was the best ever, and I wouldn’t mind if she took a photo of me so I could have a record for April, who cut it. She took a candid shot, but the hair is windswept, shall we say… Still, it gives you a sense of what I look like.

On our way home, we picked up a copy of the Cape Codder weekly paper to figure out what the local tides will be tomorrow. Looks like to catch the rising tide, we should be at the Herring River launch site around 10:30.

This works out well, because our friend Stan, who cannot drive because of recent heart surgery, is coming down to join us for a few days. A friend driving in to Boston anyway will drop him off at the Wendy’s restaurant in Milford tomorrow around noon. My husband will pick him up and bring him the rest of the way. So he and we will be leaving about the same time, and probably returning to this little house at the same time as well.

I was going to go out in search of a hot spot (Internet) again today, but have decided against it, even though a number of you are much on my mind and in my heart, and I long for news of you. Maybe I’ll try it early tomorrow, before others are up and before we leave for the Herring River. Maybe if I go to the Subway and buy coffee, it will assuage my guilt at using it. Or – here’s an idea! – I can order sandwiches to go to take with us kayaking! Win:Win!! (Except when I just called the number on the take-out menu to find out how early they open, there was no answer. And it’s only 7 p.m. here. I called twice.)

So I won’t do that. If I’m up early enough, I’ll go to the town library, which is further away, but which has 24/7 access, if I can figure out how to log on (there are instructions, but do I need to be logged on to get them? Hmm.).

My husband just came back, sans trout. The water is too warm in the ponds. He did catch a few small, small-mouthed bass but threw them back.

Now I will haul myself from my lawn chair and begin the assemblage of hamburgers.