To start off on Day 1 - the weather wasn't great. We arrived late on Saturday and just situated ourselves in our cottage. The boys were once again thrilled with their vacation house (although it didn't really compare to Playa Del Carmen). We hit the Chatham fish market for dinner - and got the kids ice cream.
On Sunday - again it was a kind of rainy / hazy day. So we spent the day at Rock Harbor in Orleans. What an amazing beach!! The tide is so low - practically non-existent - and it goes out for miles. So you can walk out really far and find crabs, etc. The water was a beautiful temperature - and the scenery - like nothing I have ever seen. It was truly beautiful - pink and magenta sands (burnt orange too), oyster racks far out at sea which we being harvested at the time and we got to watch it, 6 lone trees making a path out to sea (unreal), and a beautiful horizon. The kids splashed around for hours - waltzing between the swaths of sea and sand - going really far out into the ocean bed - and even after a couple of hours - were still thrilled to find a crab here and there. They never tired of it - and Lavi and I didn't either. What a great start to just relax and enjoy the view!
The next day was beautiful weather. So we wanted to hit a beach with waves - the kids were exited to do that. We tried Hardings Beach in Chatham, which was closest to us - but it did not satisfy. So we thought we would head back to Orleans and give Nauset beach a go. Well everyone else on the Cape had the same idea - and we couldn't get in. We ended up at Skaket beach - which is right next to Rock Harbor (same place as the day before). The kids again spent hours playing in the sand - and meeting other kids to play with. They ventured out with Lavi for a while - and I read a book on the beach. It was really nice - just perfect for the kids. We then got to Nauset beach in the late afternoon and the kids got to jump the waves. With all the news of Shark encounters, the seals bobbing about and the strong undertow - they were watched closely. We then stayed for a concert in the gazebo. It was beautiful, good music, and relaxing. Noam loves to hear live music - he is just like his dad - listens to every word, knows the lyrics to most songs he has heard (including some classic & hard rock). Ari enjoys it too - and both boys ran around with the other kids going wild around the gazebo.
Day 3 we ventured up to Provincetown for some whale watching. Lavi took the kids on a 1:30 tour - which lasted for 3 hours. They saw tons of whales - and had a blast. I did not go - my seasickness fear gets the better of me. But I enjoyed just walking around the shops - spending a little too much time at Cuffy's - and exploring. I met up with my family around 4:30 and we enjoyed dinner on the water - and then headed home. Our cottage ended up being a very relaxing little place - and it helped that I could watch the Olympics in the background each night. Lavi finally took me up on my recommendation to read 'Unbroken' and he was fully absorbed by then.
On Wednesday & Thursday we took the kids to Ridgevale Beach in Chatham. This is a perfect beach - has some waves - enough for the kids to get comfortable with boogie boarding. It also has tide pools - great for searching for crabs and fish - Lavi bought two nets and a nice big bucket. The kids enjoyed it. Lavi also rented a paddle board - and we both took the kids out for a ride. They got to try it too - really fun - although it was tiresome trying to get us back to shore (against the head winds). One of these days - I took the kids to mini-golf, and on the other day we did the Go-Karts. Needless to say - Go-Karts was the winner of the two - the kids had a BLAST! Of course - both nights ended up at the ice cream shop.
Friday was HOT and humid! We didn't want to go to the beach so we ended up at the Fish Pier in Chatham - right at the perfect time when the fisherman were bringing in their catch. And the catch was interesting too - 'dogfish' aka 'sand-fish'. We saw it all up-close - quite repulsive - but educational I guess. The seals were the real attraction - there were tens of them - and they were so interesting looking - and HUGE! We also drove up to Wellfleet and checked out the harbor. We got home around 4:00 and just relaxed and ate dinner. And then went back out to Chatham to go for Penny candy. That was fun - until we noticed the Friday night Chatham bandstand was having a concert. It was packed with families - and tons of beautiful colorful balloons. The kids got light sabers - and they were in heaven. And then the music started - and I just swooned. It was AMAZING! The band did the Sound of Music, Sleeping Beauty, a few Waltz's, America the Beautiful, A tribute to Journey - and much more. And the kids got to dance around the bandstand gazebo and Noam & Ari loved doing 'BINGO' and 'Take me out to the Ballgame'. It was emotional to watch this concert - I got choked up singing out loud - but it was liberating for me too. I have been feeling so sad and tired. It was really nice to just see and be a part of life at its fullest - enjoying such wonderful sights and sounds with a huge crowd - and everybody just loving watching their children and listening to the great band. The conductor was amazing too - he told a great blonde joke - and he got choked up as well when singing 'America the Beautiful'. It was beautiful and special - and I hope I never forget it. Ari made me take him for a walk around the shops at 9:30pm - because he just loved to walk around the shops in Chatham at night. When we got out of the car he said 'Mommy - I just really needed this walk!'
Breakfast on Saturday was at the airport. Sounds awful - yes - but it was such a great find. The Hangar Eatery served up fantastic local, organic food - the waffles and pancakes looked to die for! (Although somehow I ordered the exact wrong thing - typical). The kids got to go to the beach for an hour - and I was able to check out a few shops on main which I hadn't had a chance to do.
I really missed my mother on this holiday. At every shop - I missed her being next to me and exploring the little things on each rack and table. And I wanted to share every view and sight with her. She was truly my best friend - and I miss her all the time - every minute. But I especially missed her on my holiday with an aching heart - because I just cannot believe that she is not with me - sharing my life with me. I am learning how to move forward - this holiday showed me that - and it felt good to relax with my family. My mother was a relaxing presence for me - and I am just trying to find that again - but I hope that she was shining down on me as I was mothering my children on a not-to-be-forgotten vacation. Ari cried when we said we were leaving. We promised him that we would be back. And maybe he will be my shopping buddy - he seems to enjoy poking and treasure hunting...
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