What I like about Sundays off

Hike-Ku

the land meets the sea
the ocean begets the world
rise, ebb, rise again

Worlds End. Egrets. Kayaks in the water. Sailboats. Harbor Islands. Wilson Mountain. Wildflowers. Pine trails.

We got out early and deferred our beach day to later on when the sun is out and it's hot enough to warent the trek. Instead we covered a couple of the 60 hikes - (the theme for the year is emerging 60 hikes within 60 miles in 60 weeks) - one at Worlds End in Hingham, where we've gone before and the other at a DCR spot in Dedham, Wilson Mountain which was new to us. I particularly loved the wildflower meadow. It was no bigger than the acre our house sits on, but it was laden with late summer blooms, bee balm, echinacia, black eyed susans, sunchokes, fleabane, clover galore and a bunch of stuff I didn't get close enough to identify. One of the things I love best about the coast is that we have this kind of incredible scene and terrain change within a few short miles. First the genteel and manicured harbor walk at Worlds end as we wove our way over and around the twin drumlins, and then to the pine needles and granite outcrops at Wilson an hour later and some pretty quick climbs. I love the western mountains and the grand scope you get out there, but there's nothing quite like New England where the old basement rocks come to meet the sea.

After yesterday's punishment, we left the dog home because she's old and we added another 7 1/2 miles on our hikes which I'm not sure she would have been up for (although when we got back, she was ready to go). And then we came home and ate. Which I may love most of all about Sundays off. Epic meals. Although I showed more restraint than usual and used the high test choclate to make pudding instead of mousse or ganache - both of which call for large quantities of high fat dairy products. And now to bed to catch a few hours before a very early morning hospital visit for a CT scan. Wish me luck with that.