
Hope Wave Jumping
Monday and Tuesday we went to Cape Cod for a vacation. It is the first vacation we’ve had in seven years, since 9/11 almost to the day. We were on the Cape that day and it was a very strange day. The sky was clear of all civilian air traffic, very unusual.
Hope, pictured above doing a wave jump, had never been to the Cape although she has heard about it so much that she felt like she knew it. She soon found out that the water moved up and down, in and out. The idea of waves was a bit scary for her, at first. Then she got into the swim of things and was soon hopping little waves and even waded out to swim with Will.

Will & Hope Swimming
Hope has been practicing swimming underwater all summer for the day she would go in the big pond, as she often referred to the ocean.

Kayaking
The kayak was a coveted item on the trip. It is technically Will’s but he graciously shared it all around. Back behind the beach dunes are marshes with long snaking water courses to explore.

Ben’s Beach Smile
Ben said that even though it was only two days it was worth the long drive down. We drove during the night so that we arrived early in the morning to eat breakfast at our favorite diner and then hit the beach. The weather on Monday was glorious with clear blue skies and just enough wind to keep it cool. Tuesday followed with a beautiful morning until about 2 pm when we got a quick hard rain – fortunately we were inside in the heat of the day and eating lunch at the time. After a wonderful dinner at the very fancy AquaGrill we began our long drive back in the dark to avoid the traffic. Driving at night and in the very early morning is both cooler and easier since there are so many fewer cars on the road.

Walter Helping Hope Position Herself
Our favorite mini-golf course was just like we remembered. It is amazing how little had changed on the Cape in the past seven years since we had been there. The cottage we used to stay in had been torn down and replaced with a MacMansion but most other things appeared to be the same.

Dragon Kite
The kids got all three of their kites up. The new dragon kite we had found at the recycling center on Saturday was the favorite. It did well in both low and high winds.

Ben’s Burial
The traditional sea side burial…

Tuesday there was a flock of thousands of tiny sparrows on the beach. I think they were young birds getting ready to migrate. They didn’t look very experienced at flying yet. Ben walked through them and they swooped around him forming a ball of moving dots.
Outdoors: 73°F/47°F Sunny, 1/2″ Rain
Farm House: 77°F/68°F
Tiny Cottage: 68°F/61°F Home again, home again, jiggity-jig!
home again,home again, jiggity,jig. My thoughts when I arrive home after a long trip
Glad you had a good beach vacation! Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Wow! how neat!
Wow! how neat!
Looks like it was a wonderful trip. The first time I took my kids to the ocean (they were in high school I think — c’mon, Kansas City is a long way from the ocean) they were surprised by the salty taste of the water. I’m glad your kids had a great time.
Walter ~
What a fun vacation! So glad Hope got to experience what sounds like a family tradition. Nice big brother, Will!
Great photos.
K
Grate Time!!!!!
what fun. I remember 911. we went out walking because we had enough of the tv reports and we used to live on the North shore, just over an hour from the Cape, and it had never been so quiet. It was eery. It looks like you had fun. It is so hard to get away for a vacation. We need to start a farm sitters web site so we can go away from time to time. I sure miss the ocean, but I love my farm in Kentucky so much more. Shelley from Tuckers Turkey Farm Berea Kentucky.