I was awake (still at my dad's house) by 0600 and then carefully made my way (down the scary stairs) to get ready for the day. There was some shuffling of dogs but everyone was ready to go to breakfast in Plymouth by 0700. We first drove to McDonalds, just to the north of the Sagamore Bridge, and then took MA-3 to Stowell's Café, where Dad and Beth have breakfast every Sunday morning. For some reason, it was closed and this upset plans significantly. Dad suggested going to the nearby Marshland Restaurant (which we had passed on the way but looked closed earlier). Fortunately, when we arrived the "Open" sign had just been raised (0800). That was a lucky break and we ended up having a delicious meal there. Afterwards (0915), we drove back towards the Cape Cod Canal, using the scenic route along the beaches of Plymouth. We arrived at my dad's house by 1000 and everyone spent some time relaxing. My Dad actually made a trip to the dump and I did some Duolingo and reading. At about 1115, Dad suggested that we drive to Hyannis to get some beers at the Cape Cod Beer Company. On the way, he took me on another scenic drive (down memory lane) on MA-132 and Main Street. What a blast from the past - most of the buildings were new, changed or gone... I was impressed by how the shopping areas remained vibrant and busy. At 1200, we arrived at the Brewery and, once inside, set up for some Beer Tasting. Unlike some places I've been, they gave us "wooden nickels" to bring up for our next drink. One nice thing was that we got to keep the taster glass at the end. I tried five different beers and my dad had four - he ended up giving me one of his tokens and I used it to try another selection. My dad also treated me to some bar food, so that kept me full. Meanwhile, the Patriots game had started on a huge TV screen nearby. At one point, we'd both gotten up to refill our beers and someone tried to take our seats. Once we talked to these "interlopers", though, we ended up sharing a table for the rest of our visit. The young man had a Notre Dame hat and this started a conversation with his fiancé, Claire, who was a 2021 grad. His parents also joined in the conversation and we ended up talking about life on the Cape, the young people's experiences in NYC (where they lived), upcoming wedding plans, travel, etc. Overall, it was a nice exchange (my dad liked it too). We saw some good game action on the TV and were feeling pretty good by the time we departed (1430). On the way back to Dad's house, I looked at the weather forecast for Boston the following day. I'd previously bought a ticket for the Spectacle Island Ferry that was supposed to leave from the South End on Monday (at 1030); however, the weather was predicted to be so iffy that I thought I should probably skip it. Similarly, my tentative plans to stay with Katie and John (if I was going to remain in Massachusetts overnight) but, with rain coming, I decided to go home instead. When I told my dad that I was thinking of departing, he expressed a bit of disappointment - still, he told me he understood. By this point, we had reached his home and I quickly packed up my gear. At about 1555, I said goodbye to Dad and Beth and got on the road. Initially, US-6 and MA-3 weren't too bad on traffic but the amount of cars increased as I approached the merge with I-93. As a result, it took me about 20 extra minutes to get to the tunnel under the city and it had started to rain during that time. Listened to music to pass the time... Once I was through to the north side of Boston, the traffic lightened up. However, the driving was harder because of the spray and visibility. Still, I was doing pretty well by the time I reached Hooksett (NH-3A) and was on the western edge of Concord only two hours after I'd left Sandwich. It started to get dark soon after this and the rain didn't stop. I made good time on I-89 all the way to Lebanon, though, and drove into my condo parking lot just before I'd reached three hours in the car (1850). Between rain showers, I unpacked the car and then spent the rest of the evening relaxing. Glad to have such a nice weekend getaway with my family!
