Day 247: September 8, 2009

Rachel: how was dinner?
me: Good. Seafoody. There was a fried clam that looked like a chicken.
Don’t worry, I got a picture.

Clam up

Day 171: June 24, 2009

Today, I had quite a few pictures to choose from. But Billy is about the flee back to Hong Kong, and therefore won the coveted spot. Abby was a foregone conclusion.

Also, happy birthday Amy!

Mmm, cake

Day 114: April 28, 2009

If the sandy beaches, miniature golf and fried clams aren’t enough to lure you to Cape Cod, perhaps Larry Bird can convince you. Oh, and think before you drink.

Bird call

Day 101: April 15, 2009

Hey guys? Guys? Where you going? Hey, wait up guys!

Flock of seagulls

Day 8: January 12, 2009

Today, I had a hard time finding a photo. I took a couple of shots of my own feet and just barely resisted capturing my lunchtime meatloaf sandwich for all posterity. I then began overthinking everything around me, trying to justify how a picture of a generic snowdrift could somehow encapsulate my day (“The snowdrift represents the discontent and indecision that is freezing me in place!”)

And then I happened upon the snow gnomes, clustered together outside of a West Dennis garden center that was closed up for the season. And I am pretty sure they symbolize nothing but the potential of the world to sometimes surprise you with a moment of distilled awesome.

The Lonely Snow Gnomes

Day 5: January 9, 2009

I know two Cape Cods.

Cape Cod #1 is the place I visited over many summer weeks and autumn weekends throughout my childhood and young adult years. Centered in West Dennis and its environs, it was all beaches and trampolines and miniature adventures and enchanted swamps. The trip there had certain rituals: Rachel and I would compete to see who could catch the first glimpse of Sagamore Bridge, my father and I would exchange comments about the pine trees stunted by the salty, sandy soil of the Cape.

West Dennis Beach

Cape Cod #2 is the place of my current employment. It consists of approximately 13 miles of highway and a brief ride through a tangle of malls (both strip and regular) and dilapidated motels and car dealerships. When I got the job offer at the Cape Cod Times, I was delighted at the prospect of working in the place of my wonderful childhood memories. But it has been rare that these two Cape Cods have overlapped.

Today, however, I started my day interviewing a businessman in South Dennis. When I was done, I decided to take a drive to, and down, West Dennis Beach. The picture that resulted is surely a conventional Cape Cod scene–sandy dune, beach grass, blue ocean–but it has been just that conventional Cape Cod I have been missing.