Something To Shoot For

Partly inspired by Philip Hoare’s Leviathan or, The Whale, we made the excursion out to Plymouth, MA in order to go whale watching at Cape Cod – the home of Moby Dick. Though I didn’t spot the sperm whales that I had hoped to see, I was still thoroughly excited that our vessel was visited by a couple of Humpback whales. I’m told it can be pretty difficult to remove the smell of  a whale’s breath from your clothes, luckily only a little of the mist got on us.

With spectacular luck, one of the two performances of T-Bone Burnett’s Speaking Clock Revue were at the right time and place for us to catch it on our road trip across the USA. It was incredible being able to see Elvis Costello, Karen Elson, Ralph Stanley, Elton John, Jeff Bridges. . . and the list just goes on. By far one of the best concerts I’ve ever attended, it was put in on conjunction with Waiting for Superman.

Elvis Costello with Karen Elson. . . Jeff Bridges with Elvis Costello & T-Bone Burnett. . . Everyone from Elton John to Leon Russell. . .

We visited this summer colony at the end of the peak season. The largest portion of our visit was spent wandering around and looking at the gingerbread cottages – bonus points for a matching playhouse. Though some of the local businesses were closed we were able to take in the island at our pace, without big crowds or the constant need to seek shelter from the heat.

Fun times at New York’s Coney Island. It’s so prevalent in pop culture that it feels a little surreal to have actually been there. If you’re looking for a hot dog recipe, check out Henry’s on Chop Onions Boil Water.