Sat - Sun Apr 9-10 - Beacon and Cold Spring NY

Got on the road from Cape Cod headed towards the Botsford Briar B&B in Beacon NY.  We were greeted by Harley (cute little dog) and Charles at the door, and eventually met Shirley the other co-proprietor.  Charles showed us all over the property, pointing out all the work he's been doing on the deck, and all kinds of other work that he's done and still has to do.  For the night, we walked around Main Street, as it was Second Saturday, when galleries are open late.  We were provided graciously-sized cups of sangria from Steve at one gallery, talked with another comedic gallery proprietor who had a cavernous space, and another who was a former high school art teacher and who had a cool sliding-art concept.  We had wine and apps at "Chill", very cool place, and called it a night.

Sunday, checked out around 10am and headed to Cold Spring, where again we ended up talking to a bunch of great art gallery and antique shop owners (especially Paul from Brooklyn) and after a few hours of slow-strolling, we went back to Beacon for a drop-in at the one gallery where we fell in love with the panoramic artwork, and we stole an awesome Times Square piece (for $150) that we first thought could have been 150 thousand dollars...but, luckily, it was not.  Then had a coffee across the street after an unsuccessful ATM attempt and only a few bucks to spare.  We were giddy with our art purchase and made off for our continuing trek Westward to Nordmont where we had a productive discussion with Don and his lovely wife Darlene before a quick dinner at Marley's in Bloomsburg (great food and beer selection) and a find return to Philly (door to door, 2:45).

The week blew by, and didn't feel much like a vacation, but sure was nice to be away.  Next time, we wish to experience Cape Cod in season, when everything is open, and our stress levels and workloads are more manageable.

Fri Apr 8 - Day 4 - Provincetown

In the morning, we headed back to our favorite coffee and bakery spot called the "Underground Bakery" in Dennis, returned to the house, then drove up to Provincetown.  We parked at the top of the hill where Pilgrim Tower stands, and paid the $7 admission for the museum and tower climb.  The museum had alot of good stuff, and talked alot about the Mayflower that landed there in 1620 before the Pilgrams eventually settled in Plymouth (I think...).  We then climbed the tower that was modeled after the main tower in Sienna Italy (which we know very well) and took pictures at the top where we enjoyed expansive views of the Cape, then hustled back down.  Walking around the main strip in Provincetown was fun, but unfortunately, like last time, much of it was closed, not opening until either later in April or May.  We had a tastey sticky roll and some coffees in "Joe", and I got a pair of badly-needed sunglasses, and we walked through a bunch of house decor and clothing stores, then headed back to Dennis Port.  With a bit of online research, I found a recommended nearby seafood restaurant, but upon arrival, found that it too was closed, so we ventured into the Yarmouth area and had a fantastic meal at the bar of Captain Parkers, where Vee had seafood newburgh and I had a a broiled seafood platter.  After having bread and cheese for dinner the last two nights, our meals tonight were particularly enjoyable.  Back to the house for the night.

Thu Apr 7 - Day Two - Wellfleet

Vee got to sleep in a bit this morning, and I answered emails in preparation for my 11am telephone meeting.  Beforehand, I drove to Dennis, back to the Underground, and picked up some delicious coffees and pastries, had my meeting, and we both worked until mid-afternoon.  It was an absolutely beautiful day, and for an afternoon jaunt, we drove up to Wellfleet, spending some time in the Left Bank gallery which had extraordinary work, and then a jewelry shop where we got to talk with the proprietor for a while, then down to the little pizza shop for a few veggies slices and greek salad.  We took a walk across Uncle Tim's Bridge across a salt water marsh, down a doggie path, and back to the car.  On the way back to the house, we stopped at P&B Boulangerie for what turned out to be a delicious loaf of multi-seed bread and some Vermont brie.  We spent a few more hours in front of the computers, and are getting ready to watch a movie before bed.

Cape Code - Dennis Port - April 5,6 2011 - Days 1,2

Day one was really just about the drive.  We had to hustle because of a 10:30am lokadot demo (went great!!!) I had to give to a potential major business partner, and then a 1:30 appointment at the Ford dealership to get the "Dark Knight" (our new 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid) inspected.  Luckily the dealership waiting room had wifi, and we could remain productive during the 2 1/2 hours it took for the inspection. (passed)  Then we hit the road after a short WaWa stop for gas, coffee and a toasted italian hoagie.  I meant to take the 287 to 87 to 84 etc. westward route, in order to avoid the 95N traffic, but I missed the turn-off at Metuchen NJ.  Worked out fine though since we were late enough to miss the crux of the evening traffic and surprisingly flew right through NYC no problems...just horrible roads (in terms of pot holes, patches, etc.)  We had a surprisingly nice dinner at a roadside restaurant in CT called "99".  We arrived in Dennis Port, Sea Winds II around 11:20 or so, and with the key code already provided, we were able to get in as if the place had always been ours.  And what a fantastic place!!!  We are on the 2nd floor, and have a direct, expansive view of the ocean right out of the living room.  There is a fully equipped kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a furnished loft, dining area, living area, and all the creature comforts.  Plus, whoever cleaned this place was absolutely amazing...every tissue paper, paper towel, cloth towel, etc. is thoughtfully, artistically folded/fanned, and the place smells and looks absolutely immaculate.  So beautiful.  And a gas fireplace that kicks out the heat.  We turned it and the baseboard electric heat on, and were toasty within moments.  We spent some time in front of our computers reviewing/responding to emails, did some light reading, then went to bed.

Day two was beautiful weather, sunny mostly clear skies, warm (er) in the upper 40's, though pretty darn windy.  I had a 9am telephone appointment with another potential vendor/partner, then some emails and work to quickly rip through, but then we were off to find the "7 Beans" cafe for coffee...found it on Yelp, had great review.  Unfortunately, the first one was non-existant, and the second one was recently shuttered.  So, we ended up at the "Rte 28 Diner" which was AWESOME!  Our waitress, and the owner, all showered us with attention, chatter and recommendations.  They knew everyone in the place on a first-name basis (except us of course).  Vee had a toasted blueberry muffin and freshly prepared oatmeal, and I had 2 fried eggs over medium, has browns, wheat toast, a side of some kinda tastey (supposedly spicey) portuguese inspired sausage like patties that were pretty good, and a "short stack" (2) gifreaknormous pancakes.  All delicious, so full.

After breakfast, we headed back to the house, took a walk on the beach out front, but just about froze our ears off.  We walked through a few enclaves of (resident only!) cute little, I mean tiny, cottages, and found some great conch shells on the beach, though left them there in tact just as we found them.  Then some more work at the house.  After a few hours, we decided to do some exploring, and drove up to Dennis, the old village.  We toured the very nice Cape Code Museum of Art ("the only art museum in the country founded by artists..." - or at least that is what the guy behind the counter proudly told us...) and saw some really nice work.  Afterwards, we bumped around the area, looking for something else to look at, and ended up in a fantastic little cafe and bakery called the "Underground" where we had a really nice conversation with the proprietors, 2 capps, and a delicious cinnamon-sugar  donutty-muffin kinda thing, and bought an olive loaf of bread.  They told us all about their famous "dirty salty potatoe bread" that will be ready tomorrow morning at 10am and will sell out if we don't get there early...we'll see...but their pastries sure look amazing!  We got a few more ideas of things to do, so drove to and climbed up the Scargo Hill Observation Tour for some great views and pics of the Cape, then dove over to Corporation Beach, and took a nice long walk along the water.  On the way back to the house we stopped for a few odds and ends, wine, cheese, water, etc., then back to do some more work, nibble, then maybe watch a movie, read, have fun.  More tomorrow!