My 10 (+1) favorite photos from our summer vacation in Provincetown

We spent two wonderful weeks in Provincetown in August. Aside from one drizzly afternoon, the weather was perfect - sunny and 80 degrees every day. It was our 7th consecutive summer vacation on the beach, and as I've mentioned on this blog before, we've taken a lot of really great trips, but Provincetown remains my favorite getaway destination. It's just a quick (a little over two hours) car ride from Boston, and each year, I know exactly what we're going to get: the same apartment, the same beach chairs, the same slow pace...heck, we pretty much prepare the same meals every year! Here are my 10 (+1) favorite photos from this year's beach vacation.

This is the path from our apartment to the water. We grab our beach umbrellas, towels, reading material, small cooler, snag a lounge chair, and then settle in for the day. This shot was taken in the late afternoon, when the sun starts to dip below the horizon and the light turns a magical pink and yellow. No wonder Provincetown is a haven for artists.

While we're at the beach, we do the same thing pretty much every morning: get up early, make a small pot of coffee to enjoy on our third floor deck, then take Otis down the beach for his morning run, and finally mosey over to The Wired Puppy for a large iced coffee and some spectacular people-watching. I like this shot because it reminds me of those warm, sunny, unhurried mornings - me still unshaven and wearing my glasses - and knowing there was no real agenda for the day ahead.

Otis is a Portuguese Water Dog and we think something about his heritage calls to him when he visits Provincetown, an old Portuguese fishing village. He's also a member of the working breed, and keeps busy all day long with his "job" on the beach - endlessly chasing tennis balls and his Frisbee, in and out of the water dozens of times. So while we were drinking our morning coffee, he found a convenient place to rest his weary head and dream about his beach adventures. 

Another shot from our deck that overlooks the beach. It's the Provincetown harbor beach; the big wharf from where the fishing boats and whale watch excursions leave is down to the right. The two main beaches in Provincetown, Herring Cove and Race Point, are stunningly beautiful and dramatic. So while many head there, our beach stays pretty quiet all day long. 

Provincetown celebrates "Carnival Week" each August, and the festivities culminate in a raucous parade down Commercial Street, right in front of our apartment. My t-shirt, a gift from Peter, says "If I don't remember, it didn't happen." It's in reference to a bottle of gin that "disappeared" from our street party last summer, only to be discovered in our freezer the next morning. Did I put it there? Oops, yup I did. I just didn't remember!

A very cool fish sculpture located on the town's main wharf.

My friend Kim and I followed the Carnival parade to the party at the Boatslip (or as she likes to call it, the Slipknot).

Have you ever seen a happier dog?

Peter's been taking guitar lessons and took advantage of the late afternoon sun to get in some practice on the beach. He's perfecting "Girl from Ipanema", and on this particular day, Otis couldn't help but join in.

My buddy.

And now, my one "bonus" shot...

This was actually taken on our very first day of vacation, as we were pulling out of our parking lot in South Boston. The car was loaded down with two week's worth of supplies and gear, and we were all so happy to be getting away.