Life is good

Non-curlers don't realize that the actual curling is only a small part of the draw of a bonspiel.  Most spiels have all sorts of entertainment and hospitality, but the most fun generally comes simply from the people that you meet.  I haven't played in that many bonspiels, particularly out-of-town ones, but it seems like we always bond the most with the first team we play.  The Cape Cod Summer Spiel was no different.

The team we played Thursday night was from The Country Club.  Yes, that's what it's called - emphasis on the "the".  Their club is in the Boston area, and as is more common on the east coast, is an actual country club, complete with golf and curling.  We learned these couples had been friends a long time, and were both relocating to the cape full-time.  All were from the east coast originally, tracing their roots back far and deep, and their children are closer in age to us than they are.  But, as is often the case with curlers, our differences didn't matter a bit!

Imagine our delight when they invited us to join them on their boat Friday afternoon.  We were literally almost pinching ourselves as we cruised comfortably through the Vineyard Sound, enjoying fantastic company, delicious food, and amazing views.  Life truly is good.*

They look pretty comfy, don't they?

Ummm... did you notice there's a helicopter parked on this boat?  And who knew helicopters had covers???  As a side note, we saw an enormous boat leave the Falmouth Harbor at the same time we did, and were informed it belonged to the CEO of Boston Scientific.  It was one of his SIX boats...!

Paddle-boarding - it's even a craze on the vineyard!

Geronimo!

 Enjoying a delicious lunch spread.  Pictured are Liz, Zac, Coco, and Ann.  The headless body is Phil; the elbow belongs to Ben.  How I wish I'd gotten a group picture of these wonderful people!!!

Kickin' back on our way back to the Cape.

Thanks for the great ride Coco and Ben!!!

*The very next day we discovered exactly how good we'd had it, as we pushed and shoved our way on board the ferry to the Vineyard, feeling like we'd been down-graded to steerage.  A very different experience!