A Cape Codder

Before we even checked into our hotel, we went to Nauset Beach on the Cape Cod National Seashore to play the "don't get your clothes wet" game -- Charlie always loses! 

We had some dinner at Liam's clam shack -- one of those quaint places on the side of the beach that looks like a dive, but prices their food like a five star restaurant!

Never to fear, we made it to the hotel in time to play in the pool for about 15 minutes before it closed for the night -- this is always the highlight of the kids' day, no matter where we go.

The following morning Hannah, Ethan and I went whale watching in Provincetown, MA.

Thar she blows!

Hannah hung out with me on the upper deck, but Ethan went all "Titanic" on us, and wormed his way to the bow of the boat to look for whales -- all three of us had some spectacular sightings of humpback whales.

Hannah holding baleen -- the teeth" of a whale

Ethan getting interviewed for a DVD that was being filmed on whale watching

After whale watching we wandered around Provincetown.  It was a bit surreal to be in "P-town", as it is affectionately called, with my kids as it used to be a place where Joy and I would go to be at home on vacation.  More than being LGBTQ friendly, P-town has always been LGBTQ inclusive, a kind of San Francisco of the east.  Joy and I vacationed in P-town numerous times and spent our days hand in hand wandering along Commercial Street, eating leisurely meals and reveling in the fact that we were in the majority, that nobody would look twice if we kissed, and if we walked into a jewelry store the clerks would assume we were buying something for each other (like our wedding rings which were purchased in P-town at our favorite jewelry store, September Morn).  Our nights were spent at the Post Office Cabaret watching a show or dancing at the Pied Piper bar feeling that we were in a utopian town where everyone really was equal. 

still just as delicious as the first time I ate here 25 years ago

This trip was a little bit different as we tried to wrangle 4 kids who were pretty much unimpressed with the artsy little town and are always grossed out when we kiss!

Buying candy at the "penny" candy store, and exploring the bizarre merchandise at the Marine Supply store enabled us to keep the wolves at bay for a few hours while we reminisced, but all too soon we were headed back to reality (and the hotel pool)!

We ended the Cape Cod portion of our trip with a visit to Skakett Beach on the Cape Cod Bay.  There were sand bars reaching far out into the bay that the kids could walk on which made it look as though they were walking all the way to the horizon.  There were also lots of hermit crabs to be found in the shallow water.

little hermit crabs

yikes -- BIG hermit crab

Hannah & Ethan walking to the end of the earth

Even though there were no leisurely meals involved in this trip to Cape Cod, I still left knowing that this will not be the last time that I am here.