Sunday, June 17, 2007

Summer vacation!

Summer vacation never truly starts until we have our first trip down the Cape. Every summer when I was growing up, as soon as school ended, my mom and my aunts would pack up all us kids and head down to Marshfield, to my grandmother's house. It was one of only two houses down a dead end dirt road in the middle of a big salt water farm. Beyond the cornfields were the marshes, and beyond the marshes was the river. At low tide, you could wade across the river to the beach. We played hide and seek in the corn fields, climbed the old oak tree out back, and floated on the river in inner tubes. I can't imagine a more perfect childhood summer. 

As a parent, all I have wanted to do is try and re-create a bit of that for my own kids. I am hoping we have. My parents retired down the Cape about 8 years ago, and every summer since, we have spent as much time down here as possible. They spend their day wading through the surf at the beach, building sand castles, finding shells, and making homes for all the hermit crabs they catch. Even if we never make it to the beach, they are happy exploring the small bit of woods, or running down "blueberry path". All in all, every moment is spent just being a kid. And in the summertime... what more could you ask for?

3 comments:

Jane (a.k.a. patjrsmom) said...

How fun! What part of the Cape do you go to? We used to go to the Upper Cape a lot, although we spent some time in Brewster and Falmouth, too. Whenever summer hits, I get the urge to head to the beach. I just wish the beach wasn't so far away!

Jane

Life in Fitzville said...

My parents are in Brewster! I have a few relatives in Falmouth though as well. We are fortunate to have a pretty flexible summer with my husband being a teacher, so we are down here quite a bit. Actually, I am typing this from Provincetown, where my husband and I are for the night... alone for the first time in two years!

SJ said...

Sounds like the perfect summer :)