the little grey house: September 2009

We had a great, drama-free trip up to the Cape. The house we rented back in January was indeed the house we enjoyed this August. No trips down the stairs or to the ER. It was, all in all, very fun and relaxing. Located in Centerville in what's known as the mid-Cape, our house was perfect. An open design, it provided plenty of room for the kids to run around. And if that wasn't enough, we had a big, fenced in backyard complete with swingset. In Esmé's world this is called a park.

One of our first orders of business was to head up to the tippy-top of the Cape to Provincetown to do some whale watching and take in the town. The waters were quite choppy thanks to Hurricane Bill, and in fact the boat crew was doling out free Dramamine. Esmé and I were not candidates. Unfortunately. Though we got some breathtaking views of some massive whales, Esmé and I spent the majority of the trip in the back of the boat... where they quarantine the sick passengers. And, ironically, the smokers too. It's also where the bathrooms are located. As I'm sure you can imagine, this was not the Lido Deck by any stretch of the imagination. Poor Esmé. Whereas I was only queasy and nauseous, she was out and out sick. Losing her breakfast. Her snacks. Anything and everything in that tiny little tummy of hers. And Kristopher was the model husband and father. He held her, nobly served as a receptacle for her continuous vomiting, cleaned her up and then continued to hold her while she napped from sheer exhaustion. And as these things go, once we were off the boat, we were fine. Thankfully we also thought to pack a change of clothes, not only for Esmé, but for Kristopher as well.

The majority of our stay was spent exploring Cape Cod's wide range of beaches and lobster rolls. Neither disappointed. One of the beaches was so deep it seemed as if we had to walk for miles before reaching water. Another had the most exquisite seashells there for the taking. The lobster rolls were equally varied. Some were simply lobster meat tucked inside a hot dog roll. Others also featured mayo and celery to varying degrees. All of it, the beaches, the lobster, was wonderful.

Here are some highlights...