This Week on Tap | August 31
Coming to you live from the laptop I accidentally spilled a cup of tea on (nevertheless, she persisted). We are heading into Labor Day Weekend (need an LDW recipe? — my past self has you covered with this post) + really making the most of the best part of summer. It’s quiet on the Cape (so much so that Sundae School was closed on Wednesday evening #rude), the weather is blissful, and Nick is on vacation… so I am not outnumbered by small folks.
This edition of This Week on Tap is really more like an August Greatest Hits album… mostly because I took an unplanned (but fruitful) hiatus from blogging the last few weeks. August is perfect for that sort of thing. I’m looking forward to a more regular writing routine once we’re back in the city… but in the meantime, my preferred routine is swim/snack/swim/snack/swim.
THIS MONTH ON TAP | AUGUST 2018
Workouts
This month I ran the farthest I’ve run… since becoming a mother, I think… and it was pushing our double stroller (that’s 65 lbs worth of children + 37 lbs worth of stroller). I mananged a slow (but mostly steady) 6.5 miles on the Cape Cod rail trail, complete with a finish line dip in Seymour Pond. I intended to aim for 5, but clearly I can’t divide 5 by 2 and turned around later than I should have. I also fit in plenty of basement spin time (and arms + abs) using the Peloton app. We took several family nature walks/hikes, too.
Our favorite places to go for a nature walk or hike on the Cape:
- Welfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary / Massachusetts Audubon
- Fort Hill in Eastham (so pretty!)
- Scorton Creek/Game Farm in East Sandwich (with my aunt + her dogs!)
- Cape Cod Rail Trail
- Thompson Field in Harwich
- Wing Island and the trails at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
Meals
The usual summer favorites (farro salad with tomatoes + herbs, hummus plates, simple Caprese salad, etc.) as well as a few meals out with the fam. We have been loving “family dinners” aka simple takeout or picnics at the beach. Eating out seems to be getting easier (knock on all the wood in all the houses in all the land)– this summer we’ve loved:
- The Knack in Orleans
- The Oyster Company in Dennisport
- The Lanyard in Harwich Port
- Take out from Kate’s in Brewster (perfect for a sunset dinner at Paine’s Creek)
Reading
This month I read:
Plus two reference books I’ve been digging:
- Leaf Supply: A Guide to Keeping Happy House Plants
- Essential Oils: All-natural remedies and recipes for your mind, body and home
If that seems like a lot of reading… here’s my secret: very little sleep. 😉 I’ve never slept well, but this month was a doozy. The upside: lots of reading.
Watching
- The Guernsey Literary + Potato Peel Pie Society on Netflix — loved the book + really enjoyed the movie adaptation, too
- Woman Walks Ahead on Amazon Prime — really beautiful (though probably not super historically accurate) film
- Chef’s Table on Netflix — makes me want to bake/cook
Listening to
- Lots of Thomas the Train jams (we took the kids to Edaville Railroad earlier this week + had a blast)
- Taking a break from political podcasts because it’s kind of just a lot (I’ll be back at it next week… and FYI Massachusetts friends, we vote in the primaries on Tuesday, 9/4)
- The Feelin’ Good playlist on Spotify
Working on
- Content for the fall (both Instagram + this old thing) — let me know if there’s something in particular you’d like to see
- More regular art making (I’ve revived my art-centric IG for accountability)
- Our fall schedule (gymnastics + school are sorted, as are dentist + vet appointments)– true life: I love a paper planner + some color coding
Current favorites
A few recent or planned purchases for the transition to fall… those Harding Lane needle point hats have been my favorites for the beach (and who doesn’t love a Grand Wagoneer?), and while I’m not ready to give up my flip flops just yet, I’m definitely down for a new pair of vegan leather ballet flats. Oh, and bug spray.
Also On Tap for Today:
- Flashback to my very first Labor Day (aka the day Grace was born) and my second (the day Nicky was born)
- Thinking ahead to next week: 20 big batch lunches to make in advance from The Kitchn
- Cleaning up our, um… failed tomato plants
What were some of your August highlights?
