The build-up to turning 60 this year has brought on all sorts of emotions, from deep gratitude for the life that I’ve been able to lead so far to utter disbelief that — somehow — I was turning that old!
To help keep the focus on the gratitude and take advantage of my birthday falling on a weekend, Sandi and I planned out a two-day extravaganza to mark the milestone occasion.
With clear blue skies and weather in the 50s, Saturday was a day to be outdoors. First, though, we started off with a gourmet breakfast, courtesy of Sandi.
We decided to spend the day in one of our favorite parts of Massachusetts, Westport, where vineyards on gently rolling hills and stone-walled farms on quiet backroads roll down towards large marshes and beaches along the ocean.
Our first stop was at The Bayside, a throwback of a place where we’ve eaten many meals over the years. Today, we definitely were the youngest diners among the off-season lunch crowd!
Right across from The Bayside is a beautiful Audubon Society property, the Allen’s Pond Reserve. We hiked along the outer path that skirts a pretty marsh and then heads out to the shoreline, with views of the islands in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound.
The path continues along Allen’s Pond and then crosses a cobbled beach and follows the shore of Buzzard’s Bay.
We had the beach pretty much to ourselves. Though the wind made things a bit brisk, it was invigorating to be by the water on such a glorious day.
After our fabulous hike, we visited a couple of local galleries in Westport that featured works by local artists.
We wrapped up the afternoon with a visit to the Westport Rivers Winery for a tasting before dinner.
To cap off the day, we had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants anywhere, Gracie’s in Providence — a lovely room, fantastic service, and great food.
Finally, on Day 2, we went to an amazing performance by Circa, an Australian troupe of acrobats who build human pyramids, dance, tumble, and roll to the sounds of lovely classical music (in this case, several works by Shostakovich).
As we exited the theater and set off for home, we caught the tail end of a lovely sunset.
Admittedly, it was hard to compartmentalize the tragic terrorist events in Paris and Beirut that had just shaken the world the last few days as we went about marking this personal milestone. Still, even as we talked about the awful events and felt deeply sad for all of the people who lost their lives so tragically, we managed to set the news aside momentarily — even if briefly, the world seemed full of possibility and hope and peace.
dgandsagtravel 