Finding quiet in bustle

I was determined to make this a very restful rest day. Bruce and Jim wanted to play nine holes of golf. I just wanted to be unscheduled. We all walked around the bend in the road last night to watch a beautiful sunset; Bruce and Jim made plans to go around in the other direction to see the sunrise this morning; Aline & I said fine, just don't wake us up on the way out.

They went, and by the time they got back I was starved so the three of us went out to find breakfast. Aline was (Jim thought) still asleep. Unfortunately, she woke up as he left & came out looking for us & couldn't find us. Anyway, after we ate and managed to find each other, Aline and I chose to walk up to the course with the golfers.

The course is at the Grand Hotel, and it is certainly grand! I am so very glad we did not choose that one. It is a lovely old white hotel surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens. Guests are met at the ferry and taken up the hill in the most elegant of the horse-drawn carriages on the island. It must have a terrific view. But then the grand part falters a bit. There are signs all along the drive announcing (ever so politely phrased, but still) rule after rule. No bicycles or saddle horses on the drive to the entrance; proper attire required (with some comment about the reflection on the place's style), which means among other things that women are not to wear slacks after 6 PM. Ok, I expect there are all sorts of people mourning the loss of all those traditions that separated them from the hoi polloi. But perhaps they have forgotten one golden element in that tradition: that you simply do not get to scold your guests.

But we just got to take a quick look and leave. Bruce had his best nine holes ever, Jim was glad to have played, although he was not as excited about his game. They came back down the hill to find that I had managed to spend the entire time sitting & reading & dreaming of lunch. So we went to a little soup & salad place I had noticed, had a nice lunch, and came back to read some more. Bruce and I also spent some time on Aline's computer refining our last week of rides, then back to reading. My big activities today were walking out to buy postcards, walking out to find ice cream, and walking out to do laundry. Oh, and counting. On the main street here, which is perhaps three blocks long, there are thirteen fudge stores.

No miles, plenty of stretching, lots of books.