The Great Cape Escape Part One

The Brothers YZ have not had a post in the past week because they have been vacationing on Cape Cod with their parents in the cottage pictured above. The cottage did offer free wi-fi, but we do not have a lap top. We had a great time with lots of adventures so this post covering our vacation will be long and completed in two parts.

Day 1: Sandy Neck Beach, Barnstable

We left for our vacation on Friday, June 13th--fortunately not an ominous start to our vacation. After testing the cargo space of our minivan, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and stopped at beach on our way to Orleans. The water was so warm and calm that the Brothers YZ could have stayed in all afternoon. Liam was hardly tempted to eat sand at all. Evan, of course, made two new friends almost immediately.

After several hours on the beach, we finished our journey to the cottage in Orleans. Our cottage sat behind a small motel and was right beside the playground and pool. It was cozy but perfect for our needs. The only challenge was finding somewhere to fit Liam's portable crib so that he could go to sleep before the rest of us. We ended up putting in the crib in the bathroom, and he slept like a dream.

Day Two: Skaket Beach, Orleans with Nana and Grampa

We spent Saturday morning playing on the playground and swimming in the pool while we awaited the arrival of Nana and Grampa who were joining us for Father's Day weekend. Then, it was off to explore one of the local beaches. Once again, we took advantage of the warm, gentle waters of Cape Cod Bay. It was low tide, and you could walk out at least 1/4 of a mile to the water through tidal pools. Nana and Evan found lots of neat shells and rocks, and Liam found the sand to be especially tasty.

Day Three: Rainy Father's Day

Father's Day turned out to be very rainy, and it took us a a while to find somewhere to have brunch. (The tiny frying pan in our cottage put to rest any ideas that I had about making the brunch myself.) About an hour and a half after setting out, we ended up at Friendly's. In quoting Nana's optimism, "At least, we won't be hungry at lunch now." Something we'll remember when we have to wait in line for brunch or don't get speedy service.



Daunted by the thought of containing the Brothers YZ in less than 500 square feet without a DVD player for the afternoon, we made the hour long trip to Mashee to visit the Cape Cod Children's Museum. After the long winter, Greg and I feel qualified to write a guidebook on New England Children's Museums which tend to have little educational focus and resemble creative, well-stocked day care center. This said, Evan and Liam LOVE children's museums and had a great time at this one. Liam's favorite part was climbing all over the wooden train, and Evan's favorite part was recreating 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the submarine. If only the other children would cooperate more in his schemes...