Author Chris Ellsasser is a house painter and writer living on Cape Cod. The family’s chocolate lab, Stella, walks the outermost beaches each day with Chris. Between chasing her favorite tennis ball, splashing through tidal pools, and rolling in the sand, they discuss the human condition. In Chris’s recently published book Outermost Writing from Cape Cod, each piece is framed by an observation of everyday life on Cape Cod and examines aspects of the human experience. A tiny bit of glass tumbled by the ocean becomes an opportunity to consider the power of simplicity. A description of scrub pines questions our narrow definition of beauty. Each piece begins with the ordinary in an effort to better understand how to pursue an extraordinary life.