Salem, MA – July 2016 – TravelWithTheSlowskys

With multiple stops along the way, we made our first New England destination this trip at Winter Island in Salem, MA. You know, Witch City. We are essentially camped on Salem Harbor, so we are anywhere from 20-40 feet from the water, depending on the tide. The views are unbelievable.

Dottie enjoyed her first time on the beach (to our knowledge)

Salem is a terrific town, and we are a short walk/bike ride to the Willows, which is essentially a jut of land that sticks out into the harbor and is a neighborhood full of New England charm and spirit.

First outing here was a “boys overnight” down to the Outer Cape and P’town . Lunch at the Land Ho in Orleans is always a good start. Then down to Chequessett Country Club in Wellfleet for 9 holes of golf (with beautiful views of Wellfleet Harbor), followed by lobster rolls and a shake at PJ’s. Oh, and then an obligatory stop at the Beachcomber for refreshments. Let me just say – these are time-honored traditions. Don’t try this at home – seasoned professionals only.

View from the parking lot at the Beachcomber

The reason for the trip to the cape is to attend the annual gallery opening at the McGuire Studio on Commercial Street in P’town (http://michaelmcguire.net). Michael and fellow artists Colin McGuire and Nancy Pettibone have some fabulous paintings and the opening is always entertaining. I always like to think we add a level of culture and sophistication. I’m pretty sure Michael cringes when we show up, scaring away his patrons.

Trouble – with Mark Conway (L) and David Trainor (R)

Colin McGuire (center, beard) with his work on left hand wall

The beach down in P’town is called Race Point, and we made a stop. The signs pretty much cured our appetite for a swim. We saw seals swimming, and Great White Sharks just love seals. Maybe next time we’ll go for a swim.

Seal in the water – otherwise known as lunch

Upon our return to Salem my buddy David took me to play golf at his country club – the Kernwood Country Club here in Salem. This is a classic situation where you wouldn’t want to be a member in a place that would have you as a member. None-the-less, the course and facilities are gorgeous, and many of the holes have views of the water. How he got accepted I would never know.

When we get up to New England we always try to visit our old homestead in Lexington, before moving to the Atlanta area almost 20 years ago. The current owners (we did not meet) have done a splendid job of making the outside of the house look beautiful with a rich assortment of wild flowers. Nice to see!

Our old house abuts the Minuteman National Park (behind)

Creatures of habit, we also visited our favorite fried seafood shack called Woodman’s in Essex, MA. This place is GREAT and never disappoints. While I would have ordered a lobster, their fried seafood is SO GOOD I couldn’t resist and ordered the seafood plate. OMG.