Provincetown: Nightlight Day 4

The sun was out today, and so were JB and kj. We had a slow motion breakfast on the little patio outside our kitchen door, rode our bikes (no small feat after 30 years of not riding--I wobbled my way along), ate lunch outside on Commercial Street savoring the hustle-bustle, went to the beach (oh dear god, thank you, I love the beach), took Stella for a walk, brought back a take out pizza (no cooking for us today), and then, then: headed three blocks to the Fireworks.

.

Fireworks in Ptown are fantastic for one thing because they are shot from a boat on the bay, so the bay is the backdrop and it is all quite beautiful. And the moonlight tonight:

(Where did this guy come from? He absolutely wasn't in my shot. Part of his head is missing. How spooky...)

It was a good day. I love it here. Sunday afternoon we'll be headed back "home" for a few days of work, but we'll be back here again Wednesday night. Lucky lucky me.

Six Word Saturday: Happy Birthday Best Friend

Happy Birthday to my BestFriend Marianne

It's me, Emily.
.
Marianne is the best friend. She always says nice things, she encourages me to play, she doesn't mind when I cry, she doesn't tattle tale, she is an artist, she is generous, she understands the importance of jellybeans and temper tantrums, she is reliable, she calls me dear and I like that, she is loyal, and no matter who else is nice to her, I know I will be her best friend and she will be my best friend for life and I like that because then I can relax and not worry about things not turning out okay.
.
Please do me a favor and stop by Marianne's blog www.mandarianne.blogspot.com and wish her a happy birthday. Even if she doesn't know you, please do this because it will be a birthday present from me if even strangers are nice to her and I will like that and she will too.
.
Plus kj says she has one of the nicest looking blogs in all of blogland and I think so too.
.
I kind of love Marianne. I want her to have a happy birthday and be very happy all day and all week. And maybe longer.
.
Yours Truly,

. Emily V. V. Rabbit

P.S. I made 'best friends' into one word so I would only have six words instead of seven. I thought that was very smart of me to do.

Provincetown: Day 3

This is day 3 in Provincetown. I find myself unwinding and settling in to a place that is uncommonly familiar to me. This is a place where for years I have walked along the Commercial Street Bay and with JB talked of hopes and dreams and aspirations and perspirations. We've always joked about that phrase, but we've pretty much covered each category. It was here that we planned our restaurant, bought this little condo one block from the bay, launched the Provincetown Artisan Cooperative, reviewed the planning and writing of my book. It was here that our beloved dog Rosie ran and swam for hours at a time, right up until the day before she died.

.

It was also here that a year ago this August, I lost my footing in a way I would not have predicted and never expected. So in a sense it's good to be back here again, knowing I am rebuilding and moving on from a very sad period and a very sad ending.

.

I will be in Provincetown four days each week throughout the summer, and two plus uninterrupted weeks in August. I'll be taking pictures frequently. And I'll be writing. Today I wrote 15 pages. I stopped with a sense of accomplishment, ready to walk along Commercial Street with JB, hand in hand, catching gorgeous glimpses of the ocean tucked between the shops and buildings, appreciating the festivity of a coastal tourist town where just about anything goes. It's enough to look up and whisper 'thank you.' Which I did.

.

Enough said. Here's a recap of today:

.

Provincetown: Day 2

It's rained all day. But no complaints. Not one. It's beautiful here in this coastal town at the land's end. This is the deck off the bedroom, and below that is the view off the driveway:

.

And this is the house. It's been divided into three condos and JB and I own the middle unit. The house was originally a Brazilian nunnery. I'm told on good faith that the nuns who lived here smoked cigars and played badminton in the back yard.
.
The kitchen:

.
The side yard:

The big news for Sunday:

.

I'm waving at you in the rain. Can you see me?

We've Arrived: Provincetown '09

Day One

4:30-9:30 pm

.

Animal Wednesday: Emily Goes to Cape Coddy

Hello, it's me, Emily. I am on my way to Cape Coddy with kj and JB, where I will play in the sand, sneak out at night when every one's asleep, and meet my friends so we can all bob in the ocean. I had to tell my mother that kj is sick and needs me to help her because I was not sure my mother would let me miss school to go to Cape Coddy and I was certainly not going to miss a fun trip, so I told her kj needed me to help her and I hope I do not get caught. Sometimes you have to tell little lies just to keep things rolling the right way and as long as kj or JB do not blow my cover, what's the harm really? Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if my mother has an idea I may be stretching the fact that kj might be sick, you never know, after all...

.

Here I am preparing in the car and in my purple polka dot bikini. This makes me a little sad because it makes me think of Bella Sinclair who has given me advice NOT to model for money

and I hope she is feeling better and I hope she knows that I like her.

.

Cape Coddy does not really have trees like this but hopefully you get the point. I'll be relaxing in the sun and in the shade and having a grand time plus there is a garden where i can sneak in and help myself to radishes and carrots and maybe some lettuce. No tomatoes yet but I don't like tomatoes anyway so that is fine with me.

.

These are my Cape Coddy friends Muck Ruck and Truck Duck. I met them at the beach three years ago and the four of us bob in the water together. They quack a lot and I really don't understand what they say but they are very fun and they float and bob very well so sometimes I just hang on to one of them and they pull me around, which I like very much.

.

Maybe I will show you more of my time in Cape Coddy next week. I'm not sure, but if you want me to I might. Please don't mention to kj that I sneak out at night because I'm not supposed to but I meet up with a squirrel named Gregory and he shows me how to climb trees and roll in the grass and that is so much fun in the moonlight I highly recommend it.

.

Yours Truly,

.

Emily Rabbit

.

I hope you have fun everybody.

Good News

.
There's a lot going on with me lately, and it's all good.

.

For starts, it's summer. That means longer days, lush gardens, leisurely moments. About a two miles up the road, you'll find this take out joint where you can buy a large lobster roll for $6.95. I know many of my blog friends do not live in America, so just in case, let me tell you

$ 6.95 for a large lobster roll is the deal of the century. And nothing pretentious about this little food place: just fabulous lobster rolls.

.

2.. I've just finished a three day workshop on memoir writing. I didn't know it at the time, but what I've learned will be the basis for my next book. The instructor, an enthusiastic and passionate woman named Nancy Rose, teaches the craft of writing, and seven woman, myself included, spent three Saturdays with her learning how to spin a transformative yarn. That's what a memoir is: a 'section' of one's life that not just happens but transforms.

.

.

2. Speaking of transformation, my next book is currently 15 or so pages of crazy and nonsensical thoughts and ideas, but this Wednesday I will begin my summer in Provincetown. It's not full time--I'll be commuting back most often for three days of work each week--but I will settle into ocean living in a way that lets the words slide and glide onto the page. Provincetown is a crazy, creative, anything-goes kind of place, at the ocean's edge, and it is a place where artists and writers of all kinds find their muses. I'll be looking.

.

3. My second little grandson Mr. Drew was baptised today. He is 3 months old and he smiles. I have no doubt I will love and adore him as I do Mr. Ryan, but the absolute best part of all of this is seeing my Jessica as Mr. Drew and Mr. Ryan's mother. She is a wonderful mother in every way. And she is my beloved daughter. I'm taking a bullet for this girl, anytime, anywhere.

4. JB made potato salad for the occasion and I bought this cake, which was almost too beautiful to eat but once cut, it tasted as good as it looked. I'm so into color these days. I love to visit Aimee's blog at http://www.artsyville.blogspot.com/ because she splashes color every which way.

.
5. I finally pulled out and tried on my summer clothes and YIPEE-DO!: I've lost weight. Almost everything is either too big or, best of all, finally fits. Sometimes I almost feel cute, which is ridiculous for my age but what the hell. The kjbabe project chugs along.

.

6. My friend lolo is on her way to the part of the world where I live. That means we'll be within a couple of hours of one another and that means I will have the privilege and joy of spending time with this special woman I quite love and admire. We laugh alot--lolo and I--and we feel like kindred souls. And sometimes I think we just might be.

This, my dear friends, is one of my offices. Well, I'm using the term 'office' pretty loosely. This is the back of a stage in an elementary school where I see two children for psychotherapy. I see them here because there is often not room to see them anywhere else. That's fine with me and them because this area is a bit magical. Can you tell?

.

And last, I'm loving the blogs, the visits, the comments, and the community of friends I may never meet in person but clearly know and share with and warmly give and receive in spirit and affection. I wouldn't have believed it--this ability to actually care about and love people in this way, but I do know it's both possible and true. Thank you so much. You know who you are.

xoxoxoxo.

Summertime...

.

Just a 4 mile drive home from dinner:

Summer time, and the living is easy....