Food, Fun and Sun

Posted on September 20, 2015September 20, 2015 by Dusty Roads

The Scallop Festival opened up at 10 AM. Now I may love scallops but I don’t know about eating a plate at 10 am. Somehow my tummy just isn’t ready for it at that time. Besides, we’d just had a big breakfast at I HOP so I wasn’t ready for anything more to eat right away.

The Scallop Fest has been going on for 40 years or so but this was the first time I ever went. The weather forecast this morning was cool with chance of showers and thunderstorms. They lied.

I bet it was mid 70’s when we parked at the fairgrounds in Falmouth at 11:30 and well on its way to mid 80s, The sun was shining and the sky was bright blue with white fluffy clouds. Not a thunderhead in sight.

There were loads of vendors and even though we were taking out time we were both soon soaked with sweat. Sandy made a new friend of the Geico gecko.

Sandy was wearing one of my black T Shirts so you can image how that got hot pretty quickly. She found a T Shirt stand and bought a lighter colored and it so happened lighter weight T shirt. There was plenty of room in the rest rooms so she did a quick change there.

I located a hematite jewelry kiosk and couldn’t resist a double strand magnetic bracelet. The stall owner went on and on about the healing properties of the hematite but I bought it because I liked it. If it eases joint pain that’s just a bonus.

I also found a little black cat head, like it was peaking around a corner, that I will mount on the kitchen wall as soon as I get a ladder.

There were bands playing on the main stage. They were all pretty good but I liked The Reminisants the best. They sang oldies by artists like the Moody Blues (Knights in White Satin), Neil Diamond (Sweet Caroline), Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and even The Beatles. I could name every song and every artist. Fun.

And then there was the food. Of course there was the main attraction, Fried Scallops but if that wasn’t enough there was ice cream, fried dough, strawberry shortcake, fudge and on and on. No one will go hungry here today.

There was a huge “Bouncy Park” for all sizes. Sandy and I pulled up chairs and watched the little dare devils jump from the ramparts of one bouncy house.

The younger kids were fearless but as they got older they got more hesitant.

We even saw a drone hovering nearby. Look up in the sky….

We ate our plates of scallops in a shaded picnic grove. It was a relief from the sun. The heat wasn’t too bad when the breeze blew but it was sure warm when it stopped.

I don’t know what they consider a crowd but it seemed like there were a lot of people but not so many that there were lines.

We wrapped up our day about 3 pm and wonder of wonders, the drive off cape was as easy as it had been in the morning. No 3 mile back up for us!

Frankly My Dear, I don’t Give a Clam

Posted on September 20, 2015September 20, 2015 by Dusty Roads

News flash…Summer is not over. Nope not at all. Don’t believe me? Just ask my sister.

We just had an awesome weekend. In my family you don’t just go visit someone. You need an excuse like a wedding or funeral or birthday and the perfect excuse presented itself this weekend. This was the weekend of the Scallop Festival.

Now anyone who follows this blog knows I am a sucker for a plate of scallops. Well my sister is the same way. So I was pleased, if surprised when my sister said she was willing to drive over from upstate NY for the weekend and go to the Scallop Festival with me.

Sandy arrived Friday night and after getting her settled we went to the Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner. I have to tell you their $12.99 dinner combo is an amazing value. We started with a salad. (we both chose Caesar), then a sirloin steak (6 once which can be upgraded) cooked to a medium rare perfection with a baked potato that was really baked, not microwaved. Even though we were pretty stuffed we couldn’t say no to the cinnamon carrot cake for dessert. Yummy! and all that for only $12.99 each. The service was excellent too.

We returned home and rolled out the air mattress for me to sleep on . Sandy got the bed. I expected the cats to be all over me since I was on the floor at their level but no, Rocky checked out the situation and retired back to the living room.

Buddy had to see if he could get the bed from Sandy so he took a leap right onto her back. I’m not sure who was more surprised but he didn’t linger. He jumped down, landed on my air mattress, took a couple of staggering steps to solid ground and apparently gave up.

He did persist in standing guard at the bathroom door whenever someone was using the facilities.

So after a good night’s sleep and breakfast the next morning at I HOP we were ready to check out the Scallop Festival in Falmouth (on Cape Cod), MA

Cabby Shack

Posted on August 8, 2013August 8, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Oh I’ve been busy, busy, busy. Monday and Tuesday of the past two weeks have been just beautiful. Low 80’s, sunny and minimal humidity. Perfect days for getting out and about.

I’ve been trying to cram a lot in those 2 days because that’s pretty much the only chance I have to get stories to tell you here. I’m still trying to figure out how my vacation time and money is going to work out with this new job so nothing to report on that front. I’d like to go to Yellowstone next year but I don’t know if that is going to work or not. In the mean time I’ll keep taking “Mini” vacations on Monday and Tuesdays.

The cabby Shack is located in Plymouth, MA right on the waterfront. It’s a typical waterfront restaurant with typical waterfront fare, fried scallops, fish and chips, clam boats, a smaller broiled section and a few burgers.

The food is good and you can sit inside or outside. I stopped there for dinner the other night. Believe me when I tell you that you won’t get any bargain here. I had the fried scallops and a light beer and the bill was $29.00! (Before tip) It’s one of those places where certain dishes are marked “Market price”.

It was good and for an occasional treat, certainly worth it. But back to the reason I chose this restaurant. It made me think of Key West. I know that’s a stretch but the first time I went to Key West we had dinner in a restaurant that had 2 levels. We sat in the upstairs level. The building was surrounded by palm trees.

Well, as you can see in the pictures, this little restaurant in Plymouth also has 2 levels and is surrounded by palm trees. If I have to pay a little extra for the ambiance of the Key West Connection, then so be it.

Now we just need a little Jimmy Buffet to make it perfect.

Kinda Quiet These Days

Posted on October 15, 2012October 15, 2012 by Dusty Roads

Life seems to have slowed down a little. Cooler weather is starting to move in. We had a touch of frost a couple of nights ago but then temps rebounded back to the 70’s. We haven’t had much sun so far this October…no “October’s Bright Blue Weather“. Maybe the poem could be called September’s Bright Blue Skies.

The first half of 2013 looks like it may be quite busy for travel. On the books is a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico; a few days in Florida to visit the Everglades; and an 11 day cruise to Alaska in May. Because of all those fun but expensive plans, I’ve been staying close to home since I got back from the Balloon Festival in September.

Doing a bit of overtime at the real job while I can get it. It all helps with the bills and travel expenses.

Friday I posted some food pictures. I didn’t have time to say much about them then so I’ll update you now. When we went down to meet with the owners of the Sailing Cow Cafe it was on a Tuesday and the Cafe was closed for business because it was on it’s “Off Season” schedule. Since we couldn’t get lunch there we decided to go to the Kreme and Kone in Dennis.

There is also a 2nd restaurant in Chathem. This would be one of the last chances to enjoy a visit there this season as they are closing Oct. 21. until next summer.

Just about everything at the Kreme and Kone is fried, a typical seaside style restaurant, but as long as it doesn’t become a daily habit it can’t be too bad, right. The weather was nice (It was still in September when we went) so we took advantage to sit outside on the deck.

We watched kayakers and water birds in the tributary behnd the “Kone” while we enjoyed lunch. A light breeze made it comfortable in the sun.

Nancy had the Fried Shrimp.

Nancy ordered the shrimp as a “side dish” because we knew from past visits that there was more than enough french fries and onion rings on the “plate” for two or more people. So the picture of the Onion Rings and Fries is my “plate” and all that deep-fried yumminess is hiding the best part of the “plate”….fried scallops.