Sunday, July 31, 2005

Perfect Day

Yesterday, friends from work invited us out on their boat for a day of sailing (motoring, technically), fishing, swimming, and barbecue. We left Cape Ann Marina around 10 a.m., trolled for bluefish, and ended up at Wingaersheek Beach--a real find, one we'd never visited before--where we swam and played on the sand bars with the kids. The water in the shallow tidal pools was so warmed by the sun it was easy to forget we were on the Gloucester coast--not traditionally known for balmy surf.

It was as though the day were planned for a montage in a movie about the good life: calm waters, amazing weather (but not too hot), one 6 lb. bluefish on the line (which our friends graciously let The Boy reel in), barbecued sausages and grilled vegetables, beer, good conversation, a chance meeting on the water with our captain's brother on his boat. Even the chocolate chip cookies we brought caught the spirit, the chips melting in the warm air just enough that they seemed fresh out of the oven instead of fresh out of the package.

Seven hours and a touch of sunburn later, we led a small flotilla of boats heading back to the harbor for day's end, waving at other boaters as they passed by. Perfect.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sounds like you've been having a great weekend!

11:57 AM  
Blogger Alison Rose said...

I was kind of amazed at how wonderful the beach was. And part of the charm was the vista of small boats--under sail, oar power, or motor--floating peacefully beyond the marked swimming zone. I'm doubly thankful to our friends both for the day on the water and for leading us to a beach we'd never visited before.

One of the advantages of being an almost-newcomer is discovering things that remind you once again what a special place this is.

5:51 PM  

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