When last we met I was about to go to the Jimmy Buffett concert and then immediately on to our annual Cape Cod vacation. Guess what? That’s just what I did. So, taking things in chronological order, I shall recap our tailgating and concert day first.

I’ve said it before but in case you don’t remember, going to see Jimmy Buffett is one of my favorite things I do all year. I love the tailgating, I love the show, I love the whole entire experience. (Well, except for those nasty portable toilets but that’s a whole nother story.)

As usual, we converted my Jeep into a pirate ship. And that’s cool. But you know what? It’s a lot of work. Dale spends time before the concert getting it ready and then it has to be all assembled in the parking lot. On a day that’s made for fun this just sort of feels like . . . work. All this is a long way of saying that we have decided the 3 masted Jeep made it’s final appearance at this year’s tailgating event. And so, we made the most of it!

We posed with the usual suspects along with the addition of some new tailgating superstars.

Dressing up as a pirate is great fun but this year’s weather was incredibly hot. I bailed on my costume by late afternoon. I didn’t bail on the fun, though. We had tequila and beer, jello shots and cheeseburgers, and as much fun as you can legally have.

Or illegally have, if you’re going by the rules posted on that there sign.

Anyway. It was a fantastic day and it lived up to all of my expectations, as did the concert. Jimmy Buffett never disappoints me, he is an entertainer extraordinaire and his song selection at this show included several of my favorites.

The show ended just as the skies opened up and the rain came down. We huddled under a pop up, eating licorice and cookies and reminiscing on what a fun day it had been. The ride home was a damp and chilly one but the memories of a fantastic day kept us warm.

Okay, not really. It was cold! But still, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. And my favorite pirate wouldn’t have either.

There’s something I didn’t tell you about our trip to Heritage Museum and Gardens. We had an ulterior motive for visiting this summer. We wanted to see The Wyeths: America Reflected exhibit.

Dale and I are long time fans of American artists (our favorite being Winslow Homer) so when we first heard that the Heritage Museum had pulled together a collection of works by N.C., Andrew and Jamie, we knew we had to go. And we weren’t disappointed. I loved seeing Andrew Wyeth’s works, and Dale has discovered a new love for the works of N.C.

No photography was allowed in the exhibit but it just so happens that my favorite of Andrew’s paintings, Master Bedroom, was the one featured on the sign on the side of the exhibit hall. I couldn’t resist having Dale pose with it.

And of course I encouraged him to pet the dog.

There’s one other thing Dale and I did last week that I haven’t told you about yet. We visited Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich. It’s about an hour from us and we borrowed the pass from the library (breaking my cardinal rule of going to work when I’m on vacation) so we got in for half price. Truthfully, it would have been worth full price – what a great place!

The gardens are stunning and this lily pond is one of the first you see. It would be a beautiful spot to sit and meditate, listening to the sound of the waterfall, and gazing at those gorgeous lilies.

Speaking of lilies – the daylilies were just about in full bloom when we were there and they were plentiful and varied. I have the customary orange ones at home but at Heritage Gardens I saw pink and yellow and so many other varieties.

I sort of wanted to steal little cuttings from all of them and bring them home for my garden.

One of the things the Cape is known for is hydrangeas. They are huge and blue and simply stunning. The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society maintains the hydrangea plants here and they do an amazing job. There are paths.

And huge blossoms.

In the most vibrant shades of blue you’ve ever seen.

I love a mixed flower bed as much as beds of all lilies or hydrangeas and Heritage Gardens has plenty of those around. The riot of colors and textures makes my heart happy.

I don’t always know what a flower is called but I know what I like. And I know when I see beautiful combinations together, like these pink spikes with blue flowers behind them.

I have to say, though, this picture of a foxglove stalk is my favorite from the day. I love the blue sky behind it and the bells on the foxglove are just perfectly aligned and lovely.

I thought of all of you as we walked around, wishing you were with me, sharing in the beauty of this place. Taking these photos and sharing them with you is the next best thing – I hope you feel like you really were almost there.

When last we talked about my vacation we were discussing food. And the stuff we had done up until Thursday. So, on Friday, we headed north to New Hampshire. Specifically, to Lake Winnipesaukee, where we went for a cruise on the Mt. Washington.

We cruised from Weir’s Beach to Wolfeboro. While cruising we saw the sites.

And enjoyed a cocktail. Or two.

The mountains are all around the lake and the scenery is just beautiful. The skies were deep blue and the sun was shining and we even saw a bald eagle fly over the ship.

In the evening we headed for the vacation home of our friends Shawn and Jo-Ann. This awesome place sits right on Lake Winnipesaukee just above Alton Bay and we truly love visiting there.

The views from the front deck are fantastic, whether you are having your morning coffee or your evening cocktail.

Jo-Ann and Shawn have a dog named Daisy who reminds me so much of Dixie. She makes me smile but she also makes my heart hurt because she makes me miss my dog. Time with her is a blessing, though, and so is time with her family.

We kayaked, we rode on Shawn’s boat, we met up with more wonderful friends, we swam and we laughed, we played games and told stories and relaxed so hard we exhausted ourselves.

I kinda can’t wait to go back.