Provincetown--Part 2

It took all of an hour to shift gears and wind down. jb and I arrived in town via the ocean route and as we always do drove the 3 or 4 miles along Commercial from the East End to the West End, the sea visible between every opening.
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When we bought the middle part of a house divided into three units, we could afford it only by renting our place out year round for the first three years. Since then we lived there for two years, and now it's rented out year round again. Except this year our tenant and we agreed she would move out and we would move in for a month. It's not totally vacation mode: we're commuting back and forth--work has a way of doing that--but still, this is going to be just fine.

We walk along the walkway to the brick patio we all had installed a few years ago. The bricks have weathered in the two years since I've been back, looking like they've always been there.


We have a little back yard and lots of vines decorating an old and weary shed.
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One block away, jb and I have walked along the bay so often I dream about it. We've planned and schemed and plotted and dreamed. Sometimes the tide is high, sometimes it's low. I've always liked following the tide schedule. Something about being close to the source....

Yesterday the beach was surprisingly filled with scallop shells. jb stuffed them in her pockets, to be used and recycled in some yet-unknown way.
. We walked along Commercial Street, marveling at the yards and flowers and houses and scents of salt and sea. This used to be Robenia's house, and her grandfather's before that. Now it is a complex of condominiums sitting on the ocean. The views are unbelievable.

We stop at the Provincetown Book Stop, a true mishmash of time-gone-by. I never fail to buy a book or two here. The poet Mary Oliver, who lives in Provincetown, is prominently featured.

We return home and stretch out reading for a little while. This room is as cozy and comfortable as it looks. (Note: our place is small and simple--I will post more pictures of it before this series is finished).

I love the houses in Provincetown. (I'll be posting pictures of houses too). We pass this sweet house on our walk to our friends', where good food and good company are waiting.

Our friends are ready for us: drinks, cheese, tuna and roasted potatoes on the grill, fresh green beans, lady fingers and fresh fruit, and good strong coffee.

And finally we head home and follow the brick walkway to our back door. I read some more, do whatever I want, and fall asleep with the windows open and the ocean air welcoming me back.

I'll be damned. Maybe you CAN go home again....