Lover of Sand and Surf

Yes, we're home but I'm still dreaming of the Cape. It was a wonderful getaway! The weather was amazing, the scenery incredible, the beaches plentiful, the shopping TOO much fun, and the company....perfect! We regretted not having stayed longer (no surprise there) and we will definitely go back.

Keira has been talking about the beach all week. She will tell you about her sand castles and the crabs we caught, and that she played with Marcus, a little guy just five days older than herself who befriended her on one of our beach outings. If I mention swimming, she's quick to ask if we're going to the beach. Love my little beach bum! I think it's going to be a tough adjustment for both of us when I have to go back to work in a couple of weeks!

She would stay here all day if I let her.

Big bucket, little girl. 

She even had Oma hard at work helping her dig a big trench!

Provincetown, Cape Cod

While in Cape Cod, we stayed in Chatham. We were told however, that no trip to the Cape is complete without venturing into the well known town of Provincetown so that's exactly what we did on Tuesday. We drove the 50 minutes or so to Provincetown and pretty much spent the day there. The actual entrance into Provincetown is fascinating. It literally feels as though you're driving through sand dunes. They actually had signs along the side of the road warning drivers of blowing sand on windy days.

The town itself is very much a tourist town, full of fun souvenir type stores, galleries, street side artisans, restaurants, and multiple ice cream shops. Artisans have little shops/booths along the waterfront and a number of artists had tables set up where kids could try their hand at painting shells and rocks, or whatever else. I would say Provincetown has to be one of the most inclusive and friendly towns I've been to. You name it, you see it in Provincetown. At one point I ended up driving down the main shopping street....mistake! People literally walk wherever they want to! Approximately one block from the main shopping district is the waterfront which included the pier where one could hop on a boat to go whale and dolphin watching, charter a boat to go sailing, catch a ferry to Boston, putter on the beach, or check out the artisan booths and see what various artists had to offer. The place was busy - there were literally people everywhere!

At one point while we were enjoying some time on one of the beaches and I was down by the water with Keira, a gentleman started chitchatting with my mother who was further up the shore (she had to be careful to not get water on her leg), and later ended up chatting with me too. It turns out he was there with his wife and two daughters, fourteen and ten, both adopted from China. They had come for his eldest daughter's travel group annual reunion. They had chosen to stay an extra day. Had we come to Provincetown on the Monday, we would have met up with a whole crew of thirteen and fourteen year olds all adopted from China! Wouldn't that have been something! We ended up chatting for quite a while. It can be a small world, the adoption world.

It was a great day. We didn't get back to Chatham until almost 9:30 with Keira sound asleep in the car. When I went to Cuba in February, for the most part I managed to keep her on a pretty good schedule. The week in Cape Cod? Not so much!!!

I drove down this street! What was I thinking?!? People everywhere!!!

She really wasn't sure about this guy! She danced with him but when he started to get closer so I could snap a picture, it was "No, way!"

A colourful town!

We couldn't pass a beach without stopping to put our feet in the sand and water.

Certified Beach Bum!

We are loving our Cape Cod vacation! I can see why people come back year after year. It truly is a lovely little corner of the Earth. Although we are staying in Chatham, the different areas (or districts) all run into each other and we have managed to catch a good glimpse of what the Cape has to offer.

Yesterday we drove to what was deemed a kid friendly beach and although the breeze made it a bit chilly for we older folk, we spent much of the day there digging in the sand, exploring, hermit crab hunting, and simply enjoying being able to relax on a huge expanse of beach once the tide went down. Watching the tide go out was incredible. It seemed as though one minute the water was there, the next minute it was gone! 

There are stretches of beach scattered literally everywhere throughout Cape Cod and we've managed to check out a few of them. Keira is loving it! She is a bonefied little beach bum! Every chance I get, I stop so she can take a stroll along the sand or hunt for buried treasures. 

Today we spent the day in Provincetown.  It was another awesome day!

   Watching the catch of the day come in

         Our bath tub isn't big enough! 

            Checking out Noah's Arc

                  My beach bum!

               Low tide - beautiful!

Cape Cod Bound!

Yesterday my mother, myself and Keira packed up the car and settled in for the long trek down to Cape Cod. 

Keira did very well for such a long trip! We stopped twice for food breaks and leg stretching and once for gas. What the  GPS claims should take approximately 8 and a half hours with no breaks took us a smidge shy of 12 hours with breaks. It was a long haul but worth it. The place we're staying is beautiful and we're looking forward to exploring and spending time at the beach. Keira is super excited that Oma is with us 24/7! 

This is our first time in Cape Cod. It is absolutely beautiful!!!

                Stretching our legs!

Love that she can now drink from a straw

       Yum! My very own vanilla shake!

  A waterfall right outside our back door. 

                         Our patio

                       Welcome!

                 Our home till Friday. 

          The grounds are gorgeous! 

They have a resident cat, a dog, a parrot, and koi fish. The front desk hands out fish food. We'll have to add that to our list of things to do!

Making the Most of Summer!

We have been making the most of our summer holidays and are thoroughly not having to scoot out of the house to work and daycare in the mornings! We've had play dates and swimming lessons, seen the Changing of the Guard downtown, dropped in on Oma and Opa, gone exploring with friends, been to see Totem put on by the Cirque du Soleil, celebrated family birthdays and friend's birthdays, gone to the Ice-cream Festival, and spent a ton of time playing outside! We are loving it! I can't believe we're already approaching the end of July....ugh!

My baby is very quickly being replaced by a little girl! On the 18th of this month she turned two and a half! She is very much at the "myself", "I too", "I do it" stage. She is a master mimicker and wants to help with absolutely everything. If she doesn't want to do something...well, that's a different story! I get what I call the flopped fish as she sprawls on the floor and pretends to be asleep. Yup, that's my girl! Often pushing the limits, she is full of spunk and energy and is quite the character! She is bright and has a good sense of humour. The words are coming faster than I can keep up. The books we're reading are getting longer and more detailed. Her little mind is ALWAYS going. She's very much in tune with what's going on around her. Her little knees and legs constantly have scrapes and bruises because she's go, go, go. She's rough and tumble on one hand, yet loving and full of hugs on the other. She certainly keeps me on my toes and I wouldn't have it any other way. She is my little love.

Yes, she is fully clothed!

Lounging while out shopping

Helping Oma pull the cart at the nursery

How does this fountain work?

Happy Canada Day!

My little adventurer! She constantly has bruised knees...wonder why!

Rainy day fun

Changing of the Guard...tried uploading a video. Couldn't get it to work tonight!

On the look-out for ducks!

Joy!

Like my new house?

Sweet tooth extraordinaire!

A quiet moment at a friend's birthday BBQ

My silly girl!