I went back to check.

Sure enough, I wrote my first blogpost about a year ago. The exact date of the post was 8/30/2018.

Shortly in, I wrote about a camping adventure on Cape Cod, specifically Truro and the “Outer Cape” region.

We enjoyed the area so much, we thought it might be fun to head back this year… maybe we’ll keep it rollin’, you know, make it our designated Cape weekend or something…

In standard weekend warrior fashion, I’d pick up the lady at the commuter Friday afternoon and we’d battle traffic down that night.

Our foolproof plan (and non-refundable campsite reservation) began looking less attractive by midweek…

Slow Down

“Go with the flow” would aptly describe the weekend. After a week of amateur meteorology, we decided to hang back Friday and head down Saturday to avoid the worst of Dorian’s rotating tentacles.

In days prior, Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, dumped on the Carolinas, only to spare the Cape more or less, before slow motion car wrecking into Nova Scotia. This was a legit one.

One less night meant less gear, and since we’d head out for dinner, we even left behind cooking-related items. We breezed through packing and were cruising by brunch. Traffic wasn’t too bad (remember that thing about Cape after Labor Day? Shhhh…..), making a relatively easy trip to Truro. We pitched our tent (dang, we’re getting that silly thing up quick!) and headed to the beach for a visual appetizer before Provincetown for dinner.

Sunday

Ms. IS slept in, while I pattered about, tinkering with my camera. Antsy to make the most of the day, I gently roused her. It was SOOO beautiful out!!!

We discussed beach options over iced coffee, a cold brew for m’lady, a coffee with ice in it for me. Still undecided, we got back in the car. A quarter mile down the road, we banged a left on a whim, a sign for Newcomb Hollow Beach pulling us in with magnetic force. The wooded and windy road led us past a pond and countless cottages tucked into the surroundings. We were reminded of how big, yet small the Cape can feel. We twisted around endless bends, up and down hillocks, gawking at the visual splendor. What a treat to scoot this way. Where’s my stick shift drop top?!

We anticipated some swell from the storm, but not this thrashing, churning soup pummel.

The waves weren’t especially massive, maybe 6-8 feet high, but there was plenty of chop, undertow and cold enough to shock the senses pretty good. Sum it all up and it’s a formula I’m not super comfortable messin’ with.

I was content to take pictures, lounge and run on the beach. It was smooth, flat, hard pack: perfect for running. And, after a good haul down the beach and back, I was even warm enough to jump into the water.

Not too far…. mindful of sharks… mindful of riptides… oh geez, this is stressful!

One Year Later

Looking out at the surf and surfers, I daydreamed and thought about blogging over the past year. Have I learned anything?

1. There are oodles of improvement areas. Questions like: “WTF is a plug-in and where do I plug it in to?” etc. were asked reflexively not long ago.
2. Despite the frustrations of point #1, I’m enjoying writing, taking pictures and conjuring up little adventures. It’s what I’d be doing anyway, now I just write a little about it. I’d like to keep it going…
3. I enjoy learning. Over the year, plenty of learning opportunities arose due to issues related to point #1. Interesting indeed! I’ve had fun and maybe I can develop some tangible skills simultaneously. I’ve learned more about myself this year and attribute this to a more deliberate approach towards self-improvement.

We spent nearly the entire day at the beach, save a quick 20-minute trip for a lobstah roll and fried clam strip platter from down the street.

No sharkies! No worries!

Oh, and one other thing I should mention… I got engaged over the weekend too. 🙂