Woke up early this morning – 4:30am – in part because we went to bed at 8:30pm last night, in part because today is our departure day. I am not ready to return to Boston! We learned from the weather report on the ABC national news that temperatures are plummeting in the northeast and Boston temperatures are in the teens. Ugh. Why can’t we just stay for a few more days?
Yesterday we started the wind-down in preparation for departure. We discarded all of the uneaten leftovers, cleaned the grill as best we could, put away the deck chairs and pool floats, oiled the teak dining table, washed the remaining dishes, did a load of laundry, and then lounged by the pool until 3:00pm or so. We decided to head into Cole Bay for something to eat at Pineapple Pete’s. I was ravished and so was Gregg. I was also clamoring for something other than fish and seafood so I ordered a green salad and lasagna. Gregg had the stuffed grouper and we shared coconut shrimp as an appetizer. So good, hit the spot.
6-4. 3-2. Coffee is the most important start to every day, I believe. Waking up in a strange home with a strange coffee pot with a strange coffee measuring utensil with a strange coffee means there is work to be done. What are the right proportions to get the perfect cup of coffee? Trial and error. After a few days we discovered the right recipe: 6 cups water to 4 scoops coffee. 3 cups water to 2 scoops coffee. With those proportions we can get to almost any pot size – give or take. 10 cups of coffee require something more than 6 scoops but something less than 7 scoops. This morning I put the magic formula to work one last time and it was a delicious pot…finally! Just in time to leave, unfortunately.
The kitchen counter is made of some sort of polished stone, laminate or poured concrete – I’m not sure which. We spilled lime juice on it earlier in the week and it left splotches which we’ve been trying to get out or at least conceal to some extent. Unfortunately, Gregg tried using one of the detergents from under the sink on the surface and it only made matters worse. So an email to Joe and Tom apologizing and offering to compensate for the refinish/repair/restore/replace costs is in order. As he does, in beating himself up his tone of voice becomes harsh and he makes me think he is angry at me for aiding and abetting his poor judgment. He is simply giving himself 50 lashes and you are the audience.
