It has been hot during the day, cooler at night and, so far, no rain. Because we now travel Thursday to Thursday, we encounter very little traffic. Because the every-other-week cleaning ladies showed up at 7:40 a.m. the day we left, we were forced to be packed and have everything into the cars before they finished at 8:30 a.m. After making ABSOLUTELY sure Mario and Luigi would have all their needs attended to while we were gone, we were able to leave by 9 a.m. Amazing what deadlines will do for you!
So, we got to the Cape mid-afternoon, unpacked everything, picked up the inflatables and the air conditioner (for our bedroom - the dampness is a real issue here) from my dad's basement, and bought skirt steak and accessories for dinner, and it was still relatively early. Andrew grilled and we feasted on garlic marinated steak, crusty bread, and dipping oil. We were cleaned up and "just sitting" early enough to stay outside and enjoy the breeze. Plus, Alex, Joe and Andrew patiently endured learning to play Mah Jongg. Their patience ended after one game as they experienced the beginner's confusion of looking at the card and trying to figure out what hand to play!
Friday during the day, while the "boys" stayed inside, I ventured out on my new pink (of course) inflatable and floated around for a while on the lake. I think my body protects itself from the sun; when I felt too hot and came in off the water, I did NOT have a sunburn. This is a first. (Tradition calls for me to overdo it on day one or two, then spend the rest of my nights in pain while I regret what I've done.)
Friday night my dad and Elaine came over with salad, corn, and dessert, and Rod plus 2 boys went to pick up steamers and lobsters for everyone. With our trusty blender-whirred pina coladas, we settled down at the long picnic table, tossing all the mess into heavy duty trash bags. Elaine generously washed most of the dishes and we sat outside a little more looking at photos from our nephew's Bar Mitzvah back in May. Then Dad threw the trash bag into the back of his car and drove away with the usually really smelly lobster shells, etc.
This morning I went over to Dad's to help him solve some of his computer issues, which I'm not sure I accomplished, but it was still nice sitting with him and wandering through the house reminiscing about some of the things Mom collected and loved. He knows where every single thing came from. It's really quite amazing. In the afternoon, although it was in the mid 80s, we all went out to play miniature golf, another tradition. Rod and boys also tried out the batting and soccer cages. Everyone was pretty sweaty by then, so we "sought shelter" at the local seafood restaurant, Cooke's.
I think those early bird special people might have hit on something. We got to Cooke's on a Saturday night on Cape Cod, in beautiful weather, just shy of 5:30, and we beat the line that sometimes snakes out the door. We were settled with our chowder, lobster rolls, and fried clams (Andrew) as we watched the line get longer, and longer, and longer. We were done and walking next door to Friendly's (!) for ice cream and back sitting out at the lake again by 7 p.m. As I write I have been sitting outside in front of the lake enjoying yet another remarkably unremarkable, stunning day in this beautiful place that I called home for my entire childhood.
I know that most of my friends "back home" (after 30 years I guess NJ is more home than MA) in NJ/NY consider the Jersey shore to be their shore, but I don't think of the ocean without thinking of Cape Cod. Every trip over the Bourne or Sagamore bridge onto the Cape is a signal that I am "back" and every trip over a bridge in the other direction still feels like leaving home.
I guess it's time to stop, since a mosquito just landed on my laptop - and, as everyone here knows, when the bugs come out, it's time to go in!!
With love from Cape Cod.
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