Thursday, July 29, 2010

Dog days of Summer

We have been blessed again by the generosity of family friends. We were able to stay in Chatham (Cape Cod) for four days last week. The little cottage is charming with new cedar siding, hard wood floors with years of salt and sea water sanding the wood in spots and comfortable rooms for us to sleep in at night. It rained in the evenings as we drifted off to sleep with sand in our hair. This week, news reports talk about sharks being sited off the beach we were on. I have a feeling they are attracted to the seals. The seals were prolific while we were there. We saw many at the Fishing Pier when the fishermen came in with their afternoon catch. We also saw them during low tide out on a sandbar. I grew up swimming in waters that held dolphins and sharks. They were the little dog fish sharks, angel sharks and some nurse sharks (in So. Cal). I knew to swim to shore and avoid them for a while. My beloved got to snorkel a lot. He told me of the wonderful underwater world he got to observe. Horseshoe crabs, spotted crabs, starfish, schools of baby eels and minnows, and the sounds he could hear from the surface. We stuffed ourselves with fresh seafood from the Chatham Pier Fish Market. My beloved tenderly cotton swabbed my sunburned back with apple cider vinegar (I'm at the point of peeling shoulders now). There is no TV but, we were able to watch DVDs so, a few evenings we watched Singing In The Rain and North by Northwest.  Cape Cod is busier in the Summer months than in Spring but, there is still a sleepy New England feel to the place. At times, we had the miles of beach to ourselves. As the tide went out, we found hundreds of sea snails in ornate, pink and purple and tan shells. Our children would giggle as the snails would squirt a stream of salt water out, as they retreated into their shells, while being held by little, gritty hands.Mom and Dad (Grandma Sonnie and Grandpa Tom) were with us and in spite of a newly broken rib, Mom did fairly well. I guess we all needed this respite. Mom and Dad enjoyed the get-away and kept chatting about how they could "live in a cottage like this". David needed the time under water and away from the reality of life in the unemployment lane. The children always love road trips and the beach (so do I).  And I enjoyed watching everyone else every lazy day. I also filled my pockets with shells and round, smooth, ancient rocks. Priceless.

4 comments:

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Rebecca, I'm so glad you had this lovely vacation. I felt as if I were on vacation just reading your words. And the pictures were wonderful.

XO,

Sheila :-)

Anonymous said...

Dearest Sister,
I am so glad that all of you had a peaceful time at the beach. The children have grown since I have seen them last. Charleston looks like he is flying and a red cape would look perfect on him! The sea snails are so big! Almost fairy tale size!
I could almost smell the sea with the photos you shared.
I like your new banner, and I remember you emailing that photo to me at one point.
Well, I have been finding more amazing doll makers...some on Etsy who live in Lithuania. Fabulous doll makers who will be showing off their glorious work for sale in Moscow and Saint Peterburg. One is the Workshop of the Tireless Artist. What is wonderful is they email you back and love to get comments...such sweet doll makers out there. (Hope your kiddos are feeling better soon).
love,
Trese

Anji Johnston said...

What a beautiful heart warming post. Thank you for taking us along on your vacation - I felt like I was there in person!
Thank you for becoming a follower of my blog. I, of course, will be doing the same with yours!
XxX Anji

Deirdra Doan said...

Thank you for finding me. It seems that many of my friends on line are Christian's
...the spirit seems to shine through. Blessing on you I look forward to visiting your blog when I get back.