An Unforgettable Christmas Gift

A fundraiser for animals in need

Visiting Nauset Light in yesterday’s rain.

Greetings from Cape Cod, where, after 36 hours of steady rain, we're about to head out on the trails again.

Last year, we skipped Barnstable and spent four nights in Provincetown. We're on the Cape for 19 nights this year, with the final week out on the tip.

Being inland, we enjoy the numerous options of the West Barnstable Conservation Area trail system. We discovered it a few years back during the first full winter of the pandemic when we stayed here for three weeks.

We made two 'walking' friendships that winter. Michael, a smaller but gregarious retired accountant, is a happy solitary with laughter never far from his lips. He began his walks before dawn and we'd chat for five minutes while he was ending and we were starting.

The other was Bruce. He'd begin his walks as we were ending ours, and like Michael, we spent a few minutes getting to know each other. Unlike Michael, Bruce was tall and more taciturn, less likely to smile. There was a stoi…