Mollie and I were both moving early (0700) and quickly got ready to leave the campsite. I took a shower at the campground but Mollie deferred. By 0815, we were on our way (via MA-6A and MA-132) to visit my high school friends, Nancy and Rick. We stopped to pick up breakfast at Burger King (near Hyannis) and then drove the rest of the way via MA-132, MA-6A, Setucket Road, Old Bass River Road and Old Chatham Road. We then took MA-134 to get on Old Chatham Road again (headed towards Harwich). Along the way, we stopped to call Katie about the planned afternoon visit to the Barnstable County Fair - she said she’d leave her house at around 1500 and meet us about an hour later at the Fairgrounds. When we arrived (0915) at a place right near the Dennis, Brewster and Harwich line, we found the home of my friends from Kindergarten and Elementary School, Nancy and Rick. After visiting at their house for a little while, they took us to a small marina on Bass River and we went on a ride in their whaleboat (“Half Pint”). We motored out into Nantucket Sound and visited the “Rock Ship” (there were lots of cormorants there). After that, we headed back to the north until we reached the Mayfair Boat Yard. Along the way, Mollie got to drive the boat, we saw lots of ospreys and familiar landmarks. It was great to visit with them and we were on the River for several hours. Afterwards, we went back to their house and visited the beach they had in their backyard. By the end of the visit, Mollie told me Rick and Nancy were her “most favorite friends” of mine. Mollie asked to go to Brewster so we headed that way at around 1315. We first made our way to the cemetery where my mom is buried and then drove to the Brewster Store, where we explored. At Mollie's request, we got ice cream at the Brewster Scoop (1405). About 15 minutes later, we started back for my dad’s house - I texted him so he’d know we were on our way (things seemed ok) and used MA-6A all the way back to Sandwich. Brenna called Mollie and (with speaker phone) I got to hear the news about my daughter’s new classroom. When we arrived, we had to weather some drama that occurred because my dad and Beth had different plans for the evening. Ultimately (1515), I was able to talk to my dad and offer up a trip to the beach instead of the Fair. Fortunately, my proposed compromise allowed us to leave for Dowses Beach (in Osterville). My dad and Mollie talked a bunch, he showed us some new buildings and historical locations (including one he’d helped build) and we passed by lots of fancy beach homes. We spent about 45 minutes at the beach, walking along the shore and collecting shells, and then made our way back to Sandwich (arrived at about 1800). While my dad was cooking the dinner, Mollie got lots of calls and texts from her mother. We then spent dinner time relaxing, talking, sharing pictures and enjoying the pleasant weather. At around 1900, my dad took us back to our campground at Shawme-Crowell State Park and showed us how to use the camper’s generator. We made plans with him to meet for breakfast the next day and I then teleworked while Mollie tried to start a campfire. After about an hour of unsuccessful attempts, I went out to help her and she enjoyed the next few hours in front of a roaring fire in our campsite. Meanwhile, I continued teleworking until 2300 and then went to bed (Mollie was asleep by then).
