It was a bit cold overnight so I was awake by 0630. After making it to the kitchen, I said goodbye to Katie and John as they left for Church (0715). I then got ready, ate a light breakfast and did some reading. At 0800, I left Hanover (MA) and drove down to Cape Cod (using MA-139, side streets and MA-3 to US-6) so I could get together with my cousin, David, at the Buttercup Cafe in Barnstable Village. By the time he arrived (0930), there were too many people waiting to eat at the restaurant and it was clear it would be too difficult to get food there. Instead, we walked to the Barnstable Market (just a few buildings away) and got coffee and hot chocolate (0935). We enjoyed our drinks on the front patio and had a nice conversation. When we finished (1050), I drove towards Nancy and Rick's house in Harwich. As soon as I told them I was on my way, Nancy told me to meet her at Sea Street Beach. I didn't notice that she had added (in a follow up text) that she meant "Northside" so I ended up at the Sea Street Beach in Dennisport (1115). It wasn't long before I realized it was the wrong beach and Nancy and I then talked on the phone - we decided to meet at their house. I arrived there about 15 minutes later and got to see Rick before he departed for a Sea Scouts event in Chatham. After he was gone, Nancy gave me a horseshoe crab she'd found on the beach (I'd been wanting to find one that I could give to Eileen). We then drove over to the Sea Dog Brew Pub in South Yarmouth and ate lunch (started at 1205). It was fun to catch up and we had a nice time until the NFL afternoon games started (1300). It then got so loud that we decided to leave (I bought half price appetizers for the road). We drove back to Nancy's house and she got ready for an afternoon with her dad. To reach his house, we walked along the lake behind her house until we reached his back porch. I visited with him for a little while. By 1415, I said goodbye to Nancy and her dad and drove east towards Brewster. When I reached the Old Cemetery there, I stopped to visit my mother's grave site before backtracking towards Sandwich on MA-6A. I wanted to take a hike somewhere near where I used to live but couldn't find a place I liked. Instead, I drove all the way to East Sandwich until I found a Nature Area at Scortons Creek (1530). There, I walked on several of the trails (extensive system) and met lots of people with (unleashed) dogs. Ultimately, I didn't get a ton of steps but enjoyed the outdoor time... I finished by 1630 and got back on MA-6A until I reached my Dad's house. We visited for a while before he took me to get some dinner at Graziella's Artisan Pizza Company (1715). Inside the restaurant, they had some good scary displays that startled me! We explored some of the new buildings (e.g., senior center) nearby and then went back to eat dinner with Beth. Over dinner, we visited for a long time and I wasn't on my way north again until after 1900. I used US-6 to reach MA-3 and then drove back to Hanover (via MA-139 and side streets). I arrived just after 2030 and visited with Katie and John in their basement lounge until around 2300. Went to bed soon after that. Nice day of visiting!
