Nantucket Confidential V
Fabulous day on the beach. Yesterday, a big Lab trotted into the water, swam into the surf, paddled in circles for a while, then swam back on shore and shook so hard I though his head would come off. Then he wandered over to his house, obviously having done this a hundred times prior.
Today, Maria says, “Look, a dog is out there much too far.” It turns out to be a seal, staring at us. Since they’ve become protected, their population has boomed, and now there is a dangerous concentration of great white sharks between Nantucket and Cape Cod, who regard seals as a gourmet treat. I’m wondering if one says, “I had seal stuffed with cod,” and his colleague reports, “I had seal stuffed with lobster and shrimp.” The seal was the size of a freezer, but the great whites sighted here are 16-20 feet.
We are between Hurricane Bill, 200 miles east, and bad storms on the mainland, just west of Boston. There is a 50/50 chance our 9 pm ferry tomorrow will be cancelled due to rough seas. If cancelled, we have to wait until room clears, which can take days. There is room at the inn, however, so we won’t have to sleep in the car.
Our options:
1. Maria flies home and I stay here with the car. (Not an option, she won’t fly in small planes without me.)
2. I fly home and Maria stays here with the car until a ferry is cleared. (Not an option, period.)
3. We both fly home and leave the car here until we can retrieve it. (Yeah, right.)
4. We stay here, “marooned” on Nantucket, until a ferry clears. (Now THAT’S an option.)
We hope you’ll all think good thoughts for “The Nantucket Two,” who may have to conduct business from the island for days. Fortunately, I brought extra cigars. (I filled up the car tonight, just in case.)
Dinner this evening at Dune, terrific lobster appetizer followed by extraordinary tuna with chunks of chorizo. I will only order very special white wines, but Maria prefers them, and they had a great Chassagne Montrechet. We will return there next year.
As is my 17-year habit, I conclude with a cigar, chocolate bar, and Johnny Walker Blue on our deck, thankful for this wonderful, rare life we lead. We don’t know if we’re going home or forced to stay here tomorrow, but we’ll muddle through!
