Reuniting with friends and saying goodbye to summer on the Cape

Bill, me, and Perry at the Boatslip in Provincetown.

Last Sunday, I took the fast ferry to Provincetown. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day for the hour-and-a-half journey across Boston Harbor. Not being much of a boat person, I was abundantly thankful that the ride was as smooth as glass in both directions. Some friends who used to live in Boston – and have since moved to San Diego and Toronto – were visiting the Cape for the weekend, and getting to Provincetown was going to be the only chance I would have to see them during their visit to the East Coast. 

I’ve known Bill and Perry for more than 15 years, and although we don’t see each other as often as I’d like, it was funny to see how quickly we fell into the same roles and routines – and telling the same stories and jokes – that we do every time we meet. We walked out to the beach at Herring Cove and spent a couple of hours soaking up the late August sunshine, and then grabbed a bus back into town. After a quick shower and a cocktail, we went to the Boatslip for a couple rounds of drinks and then out to dinner at the Art House on Commercial Street. 

My ferry back to Boston left at 8:30 pm, and as we were walking toward the wharf, I couldn’t help but notice a very different vibe to Provincetown than there was just two weeks ago during our vacation. It was definitely quieter, there were fewer people on Commercial Street, and there was a kind of sad sense that summer was on its way out. It was a great day – and I hope it’s not too long before Bill and Perry and I can reunite and re-tell those lame old stories and jokes. 

The spray from the back of the fast ferry on the way to Provincetown. Before docking at the wharf, we circled just off the tip of Cape Cod to watch several whales bobbing in and out of the water.