CAAF: Clams on the half shell and roller skates, roller skates.

I’ve been working like a fiend all week in anticipation of a trip to Martha’s Vineyard this weekend with my friends Hortense and Boozy (who live in New York). Although, I’ll admit, the furious pace of this work flow may have been compromised by my trotting to the bathroom every ten minutes to see if my Dr. Denese self-tanner had taken effect. It (the self-tanner) did eventually kick in, and I now emanate a lustrous St. Tropez glow, especially if viewed at night, in a well-curtained room, illumined by the benevolent light of a lone flickering candle. Alas, in direct sunlight the effect is somewhat diminished. In short: If you’re in Martha’s Vineyard this weekend, and you spot a woman whose unevenly streaked skin suggests recreational hours spent rolling joyfully in a basin of coffee grounds, I hope you’ll say hello.
Still: the beach, ocean! Gin! Our trio’s required reading for the trip is Joan Aiken’s Nightbirds of Nantucket (a Dido Twite special), with additional reading on the subjects of whaling, cannibalism and tragic shipwreck strongly encouraged. I have Moby Dick packed (my second trip through), along with Kate Christensen’s Great Man (see Terry’s recommendation in the Top Five at right) and Northanger Abbey, for a bit of Gothic before bedtime.
I’m not taking my laptop, so not a peep from me till Tuesday. See you then!