From fall to summer and back again

It's summer in one part of Massachusetts, but it's autumn in another.

I just returned from another lovely weekend in Wellfleet, where the gardens were colorful, the trees were green and the air was warm. Back home in Western Massachusetts, the leaves have begun to change and drift to the ground, and there's a chill in the air.

My friend Deb came with me to Diane and David's house on Cape Cod. (They weren't there, graciously giving us the place for the weekend.) On the drive back, Deb pointed out the difference in the scenery.

We felt like time travelers. I'd have preferred staying in summer, but hey, what can you do?

We had ambled to the Cape on Friday, taking a detour at Chatham to drive through the town and get out at the beach across from the grand old Chatham Bars Inn. The fog drifted in just as a wedding party gathered on a sloping lawn across from the water. To the sound of violin music, the guests, dressed mostly in black, got seated, creating a surreal tableau.

Once in Wellfleet, we managed to squeeze a lot into one-and-a-half days. The weather was mostly sunny, so it was nice for walking on the beach. I thought we might go swimming, but the water in the pond that we went to was already too cold. We toodled around town a little and had two excellent meals there: Dinner at Mac's Seafood and brunch at the Wicked Oyster.

I got up and down the steep steps to the pond and the path down to the beach with no problem.

There was also time for a drive to the bay at sunset and a visit and dinner (at the Lobster Pot) in Provincetown. It was too hectic there, with tourists crowding the streets. (I know, I guess we're tourists too.) It was nice to return to calm Wellfleet.

My re-entry was better than after the last weekend that I was away, but the house still feels strangely empty. At least I didn't feel like crying.

I got Maddie from Jim and Jane's and walked her just as it was getting dark, my feet crunching leaves instead of digging into the sand. I'm sure I'll feel better about fall when we get some of those glorious days, but it was just damp and gray, as is today also. I wasn't too happy about being back.

I launched into one of my little trots, managing to get up a couple of small hills on the Mount Holyoke campus. Then I switched to a brisk (for me) walk. We passed the greenhouse, where not too long ago I fell because my legs were too weak to keep me up.

I reminded myself to be grateful that I was taking big strides now.