We spent Mother's Day exploring the Lower Cape (that's the section beyond Orleans and the rotary, along the Cape Cod National Seashore up to Provincetown). We finished up with dinner at Bubala's and a leisurely drive home while the Sagamore Bridge traffic subsided.

Between the time we crossed the canal eastbound at 10am and our westbound return at 10pm, we covered a lot of ground: down to Hyannis, past Stage Stop Candies and Marion's Pie Shop to Chatham, along the shore to Orleans and onto the Lower Cape.

It was well past noon and we had eaten nothing all day, but that was no oversight - after a failed attempt at breakfast in Hyannis, we opted to save our appetites for a barbecue lunch at Russ and Marie's Marconi Beach Restaurant, with the active smoker right out front. I had the smoked brisket with a fresh, local Cape Cod Blonde Ale, and Lorna had the barbecued chicken with a baked sweet-potato and cinnamon butter. That was a lip-smackin' lunch!

Eventually we reached Provincetown, where we took a long walk through the West End's cottages and gardens, then back to Commercial Street to explore the galleries and shops. I was satisfied after shopping for more antique barware at Drinkx, but Lorna had more shopping to do.

While she did her thing, I took care of important business. I had recently posted the Sidecar cocktail recipe in these pages, but my photo was pretty crummy. I know a lot of my cocktail photos look alike; I'm not a great artist with the lens. So I went to Bubala's By The Bay where Sonya made a more photogenic Sidecar.

Eventually Lorna rejoined me for a light dinner of their excellent mussels and a salad of roasted beets and goat cheese croquettes before taking the scenic route (Route 6a) all the way home.