Our friends, Amy and Val returned to Gabriel's to spend a long weekend (not long enough!). Beside the fact that they are remarkable women, Val makes a mean martini! I could go on for many many Elizabethan pages to explain why they keep everyone entertained at the table with their "very active spirit house".

Amy and Val bought a 200 hundred year antique home in Pennsylvania, several years ago...

Property inspector noted:
•Hundreds of broken gravestones scattered all over the property
•Some near perfect gravestones in the woods by the rear of the property
•A large pond behind the house that was once an entrance to several long mining tunnels in the 1800's.
•Depth of pond: unknown
•Very large fish noticed swimming in pond
•No one claims to have ever stocked the pond

Cue: suspense movie music

They still bought the house even after all that the inspector found. Amy and Val thought it would be an amazing property to own. Their stories are laced with humor and we always sit glued to their every word! Mind you though, Elizabeth G will only stay in a hotel while visiting them..My plan? Oh, I'm glad you asked...
I have a vision of setting up monitors next to that pond, perhaps the crew that found the Titanic would let me borrow their equipment. Hmm they are on the Cape too. I could just stop by their place on the way off the Cape and load up the car. Okay, now that I have the equipment all set up..
Christopher would be outfitted with some top of the line scuba gear and a hand held camera with a light attachment, okay and some flippers too. While I'm at it I'll bring along the crew from The Explorer Channel to document the dive. Christopher said he would not mind swimming through 100 year old underwater caves and tunnels, brushing aside abnormally large fish and moving pieces of broken tombstones. He is even thinking some extra credit for school or something along those lines, yeah that's the ticket.
Now, let's move on to the house with high tech gear and infrared cameras...

I will leave our Amy and Val section (for now!) with a clip from a family celebration they held with us...

Tuesday

Heading Up Cape: Translated for those that live in Provincetown: FIELD TRIP! Leaving Provincetown to go shopping means at least a 40 minute drive.

We stopped by Wild Care our favorite nonprofit group. Wild Care has been treating injured, ill and orphaned wildlife since 1989. Friend, Lela Larned is the executive director and hands on everything! Currently they are building a new aviary. It's going to be spectacular. Would you make a donation? Their phone number is 508-240-2255 and their address is 10 Smith Lane, Eastham, MA 02642. The wildlife of Cape Cod thanks you.

Lela (on left) nursing a baby heron

We arrived at Friends Marketplace shortly after. Friends can take you back the 50’s in an instant.They have a butcher that knows the exact cut of meat you prefer. They have a first class wine and cheese section, the freshest produce and bakery around as well as a garden supply that changes every week.
Buying pumpkins is not something one can just breeze through, so Friends offers comfortable benches and chairs for your companion to rest while you are carting the pumpkins by for their nod of approval!
Now, don't get me starting on buying a Christmas Tree... You might as well pack a picnic lunch for that purchase.

Next stop...Nauset Beach.
This is the Atlantic in all her glory! Between 1850 and 1980 there were more than 3,500 reported shipwrecks off this very shore.

Later in our week...

Bubala's Restaurant for a lobster salad with John and Zee, the owners of the “Agatha Christie” room at Gabriel’s. Their outdoor area is the best people watching spot in town!

John and Kathy West. John and Kathy West founded Nantucket Chocolatier in 1981. The family business has grown to become one of the world's most respected makers of award winning fine chocolates (hey, we pick handy friends don't we! )

Below are whipped chocolate and cream truffles, yes in the shape of whales! John told me it takes about 6 steps to make each whale. These chocolates are worth a trip to Nantucket alone!

Ekaterina, one of our housekeepers from Russia, decided she was going to make us a genuine Russian meal. Rolling out home made dough, with a mixture of meat and spices she stuffed each puff, we certainly had a treat!
очень вкусный

Relatives arrive for the weekend.
This is the new beau, Mr. Gap.
No, seriously, he is Mr. Gap!

What’s going on in Provincetown? Our loyal guest Donna Cohen wants to know....

Central House @ The Crown & Anchor TACO TUESDAY is back...
All you can eat buffet for $9.99 will run thru December 2nd.
Bobby Wetherbee performs Friday and Saturday in October and extended days over holiday and special week events.

If you are not going on a Tuesday, here are The Elizabethan picks...

lobster mac & cheese

Mini avocado tacos
Lobster mac n' cheese with drizzled truffle oil
Fondue
Wild mushroom strudel

Saturday, October 4, 2008: 11:00 a.m.

BOATING AND FISHING IN PROVINCETOWN: illustrated by paintings from the collection of Helen and Napi Van Dereck and objects from the collection of the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum. Listen to Napi reminisce about the memories of old Provincetown the paintings in his collection evoke. Join us after the talk for lunch at Napi's Restaurant and continue the discussion or share your memories of Provincetown.

Wondering what is on the Provincetown School Menu?
We know you are!

Oct. 6 - Oct. 10 Provincetown High School
Meals include milk and dessert (soup & sandwich offered daily)
Mon. Baked ziti, salad, bread, dessert
Tues. Chicken noodle soup, turkey or PBJ sandwiches, vegi sticks, dessert
Wed. Hot, French fries, vegi sticks, dessert
Thurs. chicken patty with gravy, mashed potatoes, veg, dessert
Fri. French bread pizza, salad, desert

Here is a classified ad run in the Provincetown Banner today...directions and times only one would find in Provincetown!

SATURDAY 10/4/08
Good eclectic stuff, something for everyone. 838 Commercial St. (Next to Marilyn Monroe Garage) 10am to 10pm

Gabriel's at the Ashbrooke Inn?
We are filled to the brim. We have a couple here from Canada for a couple of weeks, a chef from Northampton, a family from Chicago, 2 gals secluded studying for their bar exam, 4 couples on their honeymoon...the sunflowers are up and the pumpkins and mums are sporting my favorite colors, which means FALL is upon us.