Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Birthday at the Cape

Dean and I celebrated my 30th birthday in style at Cape Cod, as opposed to wallowing in self pity and despair as was my initial plan.

Dean made all the arrangements, and we stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast on the beach.



The owner said a lot of people won't advertise for her because they don't want all the rooms to be taken when they come to visit. Since we probably are not going to make it back anytime soon, I'll gladly let you know that if you want to stay at a great place close to the water and lots of fun restaurants, the Inn at Lewis Bay is perfect. Thanks, Janet!

We chilled at the beach, watched the sailboats in the bay and the kids building sand castles. Once I got past my initial snobbery that the beach wasn't anything like the white sand and green water of the gulf, it was quite nice. This is the type of beach everyone else is used to going to, and probably close to what we'll be by in Maryland.

Like everything else in New England, Cape Cod is crowded, compact and expensive. But beautiful, and full of rich history. We were only a short ways away from where the Kennedys stayed when they vacationed frequently in Hyannis. And we watched another piece of tradition, Cape Cod league baseball. I didn't know much about it, and was surprised to learn that so many people turn out to go to a high school baseball field to watch the top college players (and certainly soon-to-be top draft picks) play some pretty good ball. They come from all over the country and stay with volunteer host families for the summer, often times taking on daytime jobs for spending money for their summer at the Cape. The owner of the B&B said that she had friends that routinely took in players and said that despite a couple bad apples, they are usually gracious and polite. Plus it gives the host family a player to watch for their whole career.

We also had some amazing food and we even snuck out late for a midnight picnic (bottle of wine) at the beach under the stars. We are not usually an overly romantic couple, but that was picturesque, complete with people shooting off fireworks, and watching the lighthouses light up over the bay.

And I was delighted by my souvenir, a t-shirt from Cape Cat!

But most of all, it provided a much needed couple of days away from the stress of putting together another move, Dean trying to find another job and me trying to still excel at this one to keep up my contacts and reputation. It's going to get very busy over the next several weeks, best to face it all with a clear mind and a fully charged battery.

7 comments:

fermicat said...

All those years I lived in Massachusetts and I never went to the Cape, except to take the ferry at Woods Hole. No, it was Martha's Vineyard that I loved. And miss. Would love to go back again some day.

dr sardonicus said...

The Cape Cat is cool!

Quite a few major leaguers spent a summer playing ball on Cape Cod. One reason it's popular with players is because the Cape Cod League rules require using wooden bats, which helps them prepare for the pro leagues. A great way to watch future stars in an intimate setting.

Jeni said...

Loved the description of the place where you and Dean stayed. It sounds very nice, quite romantic too. How long now before your big move to the D.C. area? Hope you have a relatively easy time with that move adventure.

gabrielle said...

The midnight picnic sounds dreamy.
Glad you had a relaxing time.

Natalie said...

fermi,
We wanted to go to Martha's Vineyard, but weren't motivated to find the ferry and figured it would be really crowded this time of year. I would like to see it sometime though, I've heard wonderful things about it.

dr. s,
Oh boy, I got an earful about the wooden bat leagues from Deano! Actually I was really surprised that players weren't hitting the ball as hard as I would have expected and he said it was because of the adjustment to wood. It was a great setting, I only wished I had brushed up more about the league rather than learning about it there in snippets. I will tell you one thing I really enjoy about New England and that is that people know their baseball! The average Joe on the street is smarter about baseball than most everyone I met in Florida or Minnesota (where Football dominates). Everyone staying at the Inn was going to see at least one game while they were in town.

jeni,
We are moving at the beginning of September. I just scheduled the movers who are going to come out and pack for us too! It has been a breeze so far, thankfully.

gabrielle,
We could have it used it about 10 degrees warmer at midnight. I think it was only around 60, but still it was near perfect.

Anonymous said...

A bottle of wine, midnight, the beach, the moonlight. Sounds like a perfect moment.
Catsfursure

Hot4Teacha said...

Nat, that sounds like an absolutely fabulous way to celebrate your birthday! You guys are great - you make your own memories, rather than wait around for things to "happen". I love it!