Category Archives: Family

On this day of Thanksgiving, I’d like to give thanks to my family, especially the two little folks seen in this post – my niece and nephew. Emi and Noah are always a favorite part of this site, and we had them over last weekend for a Goonies sleepover. While we never got around to see ‘The Goonies’ (a good reason to do it all again), we managed to have other fun, like making pizzas with four other kids (and their parents, I’m not crazy).

As usual, it was the little moments that mattered, like when we made an impromptu airplane out of a piece of cardboard, to fly a collection of toys around the dining room. One of the things I admire most in children is their indefatigable imagination. It knows no bounds, and they are game for almost anything.

A pair of leopard-print pajamas is always right for a sleep-over.

The next morning the twins practiced walking in the shoes from my most recent sartorial cataclysm. There was a minor scuffle as they don’t like to share, but it all worked out in the end. Uncle Al does not tolerate those who don’t share. (It just hits too close to home.)

The morning after saw a breakfast of scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, bacon and toast by the twins. Uncle Al loves a helper. As the day was nice, we donned our coats for a bit of stalking squirrels in the backyard.

Once again, the boundless imagination of children impressed me, as the kids devised ways of enticing and catching squirrels. It reminded me of the day that my favorite Uncle asked if my brother and I wanted him to catch a squirrel. “You can’t catch a squirrel!” I squealed back then. On this day, I was the Uncle, and the children were the believers.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

There is only one day of the year that this blog does not feature a written post, and it was yesterday. It’s been that way since the beginning, and it will always be that way, because as anyone who was alive on that seminal day will attest, it cannot be forgotten. Unfortunately for those whose birthdays fall on that date, birthday wishes and honors have to wait until today. That means my Dad’s birthday, now forever unforgettable, is always marked the day afterward. (And occasionally the day before.)

Luckily, Dad doesn’t so much mind, as he was never one to make a big deal about his birthday. In many ways, that’s a lot like how he goes through life. More than any other man I know, he has shown me what it’s like to put everyone other than himself first. Thankfully, that usually meant his family, but it also meant all of his patients and co-workers during his time as an anesthesiologist. That sort of service is what made him such a good doctor – and in many respects such a good Dad.

And so, a day later, but without further ado, a great big Happy Birthday wish to my Dad!

It’s not supposed to be, but summer is a busy time in these parts. Most of the business is fun, but it’s still a bit of work. Luckily we have some great people to make it all worth-while, like the family members you will find in this post. I don’t share a great deal of information about my family, but regular readers have come to know most of the key players. Here’s another glimpse at them.

My family and I posed in front of the Ice Blue Show Queen in her virgin voyage to Amsterdam, NY. She has since been outfitted with chrome license plate frames, because my car fanaticism has taken root. All this time I’ve been worried about catching the menopause from co-workers, I didn’t realize the car obsession syndrome that was right next to me in the form of my husband. It’s the unsuspecting ones who always get it.

Some posts tell their own stories with very little promoting from this exhausted writer. Let that happen right now.

Unlike myself, my niece and nephew would rather spend their last moments of a trip in the hot tub, and I really can’t blame them. It was one of their favorite haunts on this vacation, so that’s where I found them when I was finishing up my packing and getting ready to roll out of Cape Cod for this season.

For my last hurrah, I indulged in this decadent breakfast cupcake at Buckie’s, a caramel almond concoction that was worth however many cavities it gave me. It was the sweetest ending to a very sweet vacation. (And ok, maybe it wasn’t technically a “breakfast” cupcake, but I ate it as such and feel better when it’s designated accordingly.)

A wistful look back over the last few days would have to see Andy and me through the ride home.

Remembering the splashing in the water, the way the sun felt on my shoulders, and the sand on my feet…

Remembering my family on the beach –  the entire family – for the first time in almost three decades…

Remembering Andy posing in front of this car…

and playing miniature golf like it was baseball, and eating this ice cream…

… and not wanting to say good-bye.

Let’s do it again next year.

Two things that signified the Cape Cod vacations of our youth were miniature golf and ice cream at the Lil Caboose. The former was easy to replicate, and we soon found ourselves swinging away on an 18 hole course. (Yes, 18 – which, after the first two holes took half an hour to get through, meant for a very long evening.)

I don’t want to brag, but I was averaging two shots per hole, thank you very much. It’s all in the ball – and my chosen color was purple.

Andy was a maniac on the mini-greens, launching his ball out of bounds more often than not. People were actually moving out of the way when he came up to putt. (Mainly my brother and myself.)

The twins handled themselves pretty well until the last few holes. Emi was done with the whole process, and Noah was getting unruly. A few sets of players behind us had already been advised to play through, and most welcomed the chance. The mosquitoes were also out by this time, so I was very thankful when the last ball disappeared into the abyss of the last hole.

For our final outing on this family vacation, we stopped by a childhood haunt – the Lil Caboose – for ice cream. I’d spotted the venerable establishment earlier that day, astounded that it was still around, and that I still remembered. My brother instantly recalled it, and I finally realized that in many ways he is more nostalgic than me. As his kids enjoyed their first Lil Caboose experience, the distant memories of our vacations came back little by little. It was different being one of the adults this time, but different in a good way. One of the things that remained the same was the feeling, on that last night, of not wanting it to end.

The only problem traveling with a pair of four-year-olds is that meals don’t always run as smoothly as an adult like myself would prefer they would. I was expecting this, so the meltdowns the twins had were not super surprising. Yes, I was new to that (if we ever behaved like that as kids we would be in trouble I can’t even fathom) but I took it all in stride. The trouble with twins is that there is double the chance for trouble, so when one was behaving the other was breaking down. And vice versa. It made for a less-than-merry go-round, but after a while it became routine, and most of the restaurants we ate at were accustomed to kids.

Our last meal was one of our best – both behavior-wise and as far as food went. The Ocean House, from the outside, looked like just another tourist trap on the shore, but inside it was elegant, and boasted the best dishes of the entire vacation – such as this lobster salad intro and a sea bass entree.

The walk back to the hotel was filled with golden-hour light, so we paused for pictures on a walk leading to the shore.

Getting my brother and my husband to pose for photos is hard enough – adding a pair of four-year-old twins to the mix is all but impossible to manage. That’s when you let go and let God. (And laugh – a lot.)

Andy somehow managed to wrangle out this decent shot, and just in time: the promise of miniature golf and ice cream had these kids on the edge of everything.