Summer: Cape May, Sat. 6/19 - Sat. 6/26

Last week was beach week! First--it wasn't the same at all this year because Mom and Dad couldn't go with us. Logistically and healthfully impossible thanks to Dad's super-convenient and mobile picc line. But we couldn't be too sad since all of that is getting Dad back to full normalcy--worth it 100% to miss the beach. So this year it was me, Andrew, the girls, Molly, Luca--and JEREMY, our newly minted brother-in-law. This was his first full-week immersion in an Orlando vacation, and he came out the other side without any kind of running, fleeing, screaming, etc. His only true protest came when all of us, to a person, were sitting around the breakfast table reading books in complete silence. Welcome, Jeremy. 

We stayed in the same rented house as last year, a cottage on Cape May Point. It's a perfect place, close to the beach, great layout, lots of space. This year we added a bike element to the week, which turned out to be a highlight. We saw a million dolphins, very close to shore. I'll try to recap the week day by day.

Sat. 6/19

Said goodbye to Farrah in the morning. It's so awful to leave her, even though she got to stay in the house with a dog sitter. I still felt terrible.

Traveling to Cape May from Pittsburgh is not as fun as traveling to Cape May from Maplewood. The trip was long. It was made longer by the fact that somewhere in PA, the left side of our rear bumper came loose and was flapping in the wind. We discovered it when we stopped at a gas station, and a kind stranger approached us with a roll of duct tape. Humanity is good after all! Andrew taped the bumper down and we continued on our way. (We bought a roll of duct tape as soon as we found a CVS in Cape May. We'll never be without it again.)

We took a walk on the beach after settling in and of course the kids' claim of "we'll just put our feet in" turned into fully clothed swimming. They love the beach.

Sun. 6/20

We spent the morning and afternoon on the beach. The ocean was full of jellyfish, doing some kind of migration since the water had warmed up. Lucia got stung. Just after lunchtime, the jellyfish mostly went away. Later in the day, Molly, Luca, and Jeremy arrived. We had dinner then went into town for Kohr's custard.

Mon. 6/21

Beach day. More jellyfish. Everyone got stung. (I didn't venture in. I'm dicey about ocean swimming on a good day.) It's amazing that the kids still wanted to be in the water. We played Telestrations.

Tues. 6/22

A highlight of a day. We went on a bike ride in the morning on what Jeremy and Andrew claimed was a path; it wasn't. A rideable trail turned into a sandy, unrideable trail and then that turned into an overgrown path that required a machete to pass through. We persevered far longer than was reasonable. Lucia wanted to kill us all. It was a true adventure. 

It turned into a rainy day so we mostly stayed home, played Left Right Center, watched the movie Luca, and then walked on the beach in the evening. We started a puzzle. Adults played Code Names after the kids went to bed.

Wed. 6/23

Bike ride morning: we rode to a bread baker and then to Sunset Beach to look for Cape May diamonds. Lots of fun. Then beach in the afternoon.

Thurs. 6/24

Long bike ride into town for donuts in the morning. On the way home, Andrew as last in the bike line. Only when we were about to turn off the main road did we think to look back--and Andrew wasn't there. No sign of him at all, as far as the eye could see. Molly got a text saying he'd gotten a flat tire. Jeremy rode back to find him; Molly and I rode home with the kids. Andrew had to ride back to the bike rental place and exchange his bike for a new one.

Beach all afternoon. Andrew and I got takeout fried clams from the Lobster House.

Fri. 6/25

We rode bikes to a nature trail and took a long walk. Beach all afternoon. Andrew and I had drinks with Maplewood neighbors who were in town. Then lots of packing up. We finished our second 1000-piece puzzle.

Sat. 6/26

Looonngggg drive home in our duct-taped car. But the bright side was being reunited with Farrah, who seemed no worse for wear.