Bassett's Island

Conrad and Mark have had a great time with their soon-to-be-12 year old cousin Charlie. His parents have a house near the anchorage and we have really enjoyed spending time with family. They also let us use their shower and laundry, among many other things. Boat life is nice, but there's certainly something to be said for unlimited running water.

That is Charlie going up the mast after Matt got back down from fixing some things. There was a bit of a misunderstanding with his mother about whether or not we were joking about his going up. But he was returned uninjured and had fun. He even inspired Conrad to try it. Conrad can't wait to do it again.

The cousins also spent several hours jumping off the boat into the water, playing a variety of games and having Lego building contests. Charlie is an amazing kid and the boys love him like no one's business.
One of the problems in being so close to civilization is the temptation to spend too much money eating out.  In addition to the very popular Chart Room (in the summer, it was crowded even on a Monday evening), the Lobster Trap is worth a trip. We have also made near daily trips to Cataumetfish for fresh-off-the-boat fish.  And the ice cream shop just down the street makes its own ice cream daily.  Cranberry bog is a perennial flavor favorite.

We also got to see our friends from Pendragon again. Joe went Quahog clam hunting with a local friend and was generous enough to share a whole bucketful with us (even if he was mum on exactly where he found them). That was a real treat. Around here, they eat them grilled, chopped fine, and mixed with breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, celery and bits of sausage. We mixed ours with bacon grease as well, so you know they had to be good.

We will be hanging around Cape Cod for a few weeks while we wait for Matt's parents to visit at the end of the month. Another item has been added to the top of our to do list. We have an oil leak in our port engine that is probably the rear main seal, requiring special tools to access. So we will have that fixed, as well as ticking off more repairs on our own. Also, we finally bit the bullet and ordered radar (mostly so we can see and avoid storms) and a pressure cooker (mostly because everyone else has one and says they're great--we'll see).