The Cape...

I can't wait to get to the Cape! We've been on Cape Cod for our summer vacations since moving from Boston almost 14 years ago and even before then. We knew we needed to etch this special place into our children's experiences and that became crystal clear to us one morning after driving all through the night to the Cape. As the sun was coming up in the east, windows open to breathe in the salty air, our little 3 year old Connor was wide eyed absorbing the scene. Just as we crested the bridge, crossing over the Cape Cod Canal, Connor suddenly declared, "Look Mommy, it's the river bank!". " We still chuckle today... our little Midwest kid. Yet, we knew at that moment we would instill a love of the ocean (not RIVER: no offense to any river/lake lovers) and all things Cape to us; the tides, moontides, sandbars, "drifting", fishing, boating, the waters of the harbor, marsh, and all the things we treasure about the Cape. We love the peace, we love the sea. There is nothing like walking on the east bar of Sandy Neck. Sand packed and rippled from the outward moving tide, the seagulls and plovers and salty breeze, the water is as beautiful as any Caribbean place I have been. Kids running and laughing, and lots of cartwheeling and joy in the moment. It is a little bit of heaven on earth. Yet, more than all this amazing beauty, we return year after year for family. Period. It was an unspoken mission of both of us as parents living 900 miles away from our clan, that our children would know and have meaningful relationships with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. I think we are accomplishing this. Our kids really love our family and have such special relationships with them. Year after year they treasure the Annual Cape Cod Cousin Camp out ! (More on this for sure later.) Year after year, tears flow as we once again cross the bridge heading "off Cape" toward our Midwest home. Just like the tide, the beacon of family for us is inescapable and intrinsic to who we are. A powerful force, it ebbs and flows, strong and gentle, pushing and pulling, reaching, rising, calling. It's ever changing and yet always is. I can't wait to get to the Cape!