Cape Cod Vacation 2026!

 Dan and I were so thankful that both kids were able to join us for our annual trip to Cape Cod!!!  

We started the road trip on Thursday, July 30th.  Dan and I packed up the car and headed to Raleigh to pick up both the kids.  And we arrived on the Cape on August 1st!

Every year I try to take a picture of the welcome sign on the side of the highway.  Some years are better than others.  I think this one turned out pretty good!

Our ritual on the night we arrive on the Cape is to get pizza.  This year, we tried out a new pizza spot since we found our normal pizza spots to be lacking the last few years.  We tried RC's Cape Cod Pizza which is inside Peterson's Market (a local supermarket).  It was delicious and I think we will be getting it from there again next year.  The crust with thin (but not crispy) and the sauce was flavorful. Wish I had a piece right now!

After pizza we had to go get ice cream.  Ice cream every night after dinner is another ritual for us when we are on the Cape. Cathy and Eric were still on the Cape (they left bright and early the next morning to sail in the New York Yacht Club's Queen's Cup which was being run out of Maine this year instead of New York) so we went to their favorite ice cream place which is the Little Caboose.  We went there quite a few years ago and didn't love it so we haven't been back. But the ice cream was fabulous!  We will definitely be putting that one back into the yearly rotation. 

The next day we got groceries and then Sarah and I went to the beach.  Dan and Peter went to the used to a used bookstore that they love called Parnassus Book Service and to the hardware store.

After dinner, we headed to Centerville to go to the cemetery to visit Dan's parent's graves and his brother's grave. (Also his paternal grandparents are buried there as well.)  And since we were in Centerville, we had to stop for Ice Cream at 4 Seas.  They've been in business since 1934 so you know it's got to be good.

The next day was Sunday so we went to Mass at St. Francis Xavier . After lunch Dan and Peter dropped me and Sarah off so we could visit all the shops in Hyannis and they went to The Dead Zone.  Peter loves the Grateful Dead and always shops here for new tee shirts. Then we stopped into a new Irish pub called The Auld Triangle. 

This pub has been certified by Guinness which means they meet the highest quality standards.  So a Guinness here will taste better than if you get a Guinness in a pub or bar that's not certified.  

And after dinner, we had ice cream at The School House in Harwich.  We've been there in the past, but this one isn't in the regular rotation, and it will not be added back in.  Sarah and I both found our ice cream to be too icy.  I like my ice cream super creamy and melty and delicious.  It should not have ice crystals in it.  And it wasn't freezer burn but inside the ice cream was just icy. 

The next day, Monday, it was raining so we decided to head to Sandwich to visit Treehouse Brewing.  If you didn't know, Treehouse Brewing Company was one of the early creators/adapters of the New England IPA.  I personally don't like IPAs in general.  I find them very bitter and they smell and taste like grapefruit.  But Peter and Dan love them.  New England IPAs are extremely hazy.  Peter's drinking one below.  Looks like a glass of orange juice.  I'm drinking a Munich Dunkel.  This style of beer is dark and creamy and smooth.  Looks like a mug of coffee!

Nothing better than a tasty beer with your family and a view of the ocean.  Afterwards we headed back to our neck of the Cape and had Mexican food for dinner at Sam Diego's.  This place has been around forever.  Every time we pass by it Dan tells the kids he won a jalapeno eating contest there when he was in his twenties.  (He's about to be 60!) Since we were actually in the restaurant the kids wanted to hear the details of the contest. It was then revealed that it wasn't actually a restaurant sanctioned contest.  Apparently one of his friends he was dining with basically said, "I bet I can eat more jalapenos than you." We gave him a hard time for that one.  The kids were picturing a Nathan's Hot Dog style eating competition.

Because we had a late dinner that evening we didn't have ice cream.  Whomp. Whomp.

The next day, we were up bright and early because we were headed to Boston! After a quick stop at Dunkin' we made it Boston and had a visit with Dick and Jillian and then we picked up Dan's uncle from his retirement home and took him to lunch at Mike's City Diner.  After lunch with drove him through Roxbury which is the neighborhood he grew up in.  I think he really enjoyed the walk down memory lane.  He was pointing out the sights from the neighborhood and telling stories and just seemed genuinely happy to be there.  

After we said our goodbyes, we found a great parking spot near Fenway park and then hopped a train to the North End and walked around.  We got sweet treats from Bova's Bakery. Most people go to Mike's Pastry because it's on a main street.  We went there years ago with the kids.  All the tourists go there so the line is always a mile long.  But we went down some little side streets and discovered Bova's which has been in business since 1926 (Mike's has only been around since 1946.) and they are open 24 house a day!  

Enjoying our sweet treats.

Here we are in front of the Old State House.

Dan wanted to create a picture of the kids in front of the bronze statue of Paul Revere that he took years ago but as we approached it we weren't let through.  They were filming for Boston Blue.  Boston Blue is a detective show on CBS that stars Donnie Wahlburg and is set in ...you guessed it...Boston. We stayed for a bit and watched them filming a short scene.  There was someone on a bike being chased right behind the statue.  After the filmed a take, Dan and Sarah broke through and snapped a picture.  Peter and I did not because we are rule followers. :) 

We walked around and took in the sights for a bit longer and then we headed to Durty Nellie's for a quick drink. 

Then we took the train back to Fenway Park and watched the Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 14-2!  It was a great game!!!!

On Wednesday, Dan and I took an early morning walk on the beach and later on that afternoon, we all hung out on the beach.

After dinner we got ice cream at the Ice Cream Smuggler which is one of my favorites. 

On Thursday, we had lunch at Baxter's Boathouse  so Peter could get his once-a-year lobster roll. He said it was delicious and the best one he's ever had on the Cape!  

I did not get a picture of his lobster roll but I did take a picture of my Sarti Spritz!

After lunch we took a drive around the Cape. We got ice cream at Dan and Peter's favorite spot - The Sundae School .And then Dan and Peter went fishing at Seagull beach while Sarah and I took a nice long walk. 

They didn't catch anything.  They never do.  But they have fun though!

Friday was our last full day on the Cape.  And our last day is always full of not fun things like going to the dump, laundry, cleaning, packing, etc.  But we still managed to have a little fun.  We hit the beach one last time and we got pizza from RC's again and went to Katie's in Hyannis for ice cream.  Afterwards, we walked around the docks in Hyannis. That's another thing we do every year. It's funny all the different little things we do to make our vacation ours.

We left bright and early on Saturday morning.  We stopped for Mass in Frederick, Maryland and had dinner at Brewer's Alley. After dinner we walked around downtown Frederick.  It's a really cute little town with lots of shops and restaurants. We spent the night there and made it back to North Carolina on Sunday.  We had such a lovely vacation.  We had a lot of time to relax and just enjoy being together.  I love my little family and time spent with them is my favorite thing.

Fourth of July Weekend. Happy 250th, USA!

Did I mention in my last post that after graduation Sarah and her friends were spending three weeks in Europe?  Well, they did!  They visited Germany, France, Italy, Amsterdam and Holland.  She had a wonderful time but I sure did miss having her in my time zone.

On the last day, she passed out in line waiting to go into the Vatican.  And as she lay on the scorching hot pavement for about a minute until she came to, she got 2nd degree burns on her arm.  Because she passed out, they called an ambulance and took her to a hospital. That was a fun call to receive.  I did my best not to panic and all my sweet friends at work began to pray immediately.  It's hard not being able to be there for your baby when she needs you!

The care she received in the hospital was a little lacking.  They popped the blisters on her burns.  I was shocked that they did that.  Everyone knows not to pop blisters on a burn! They also did not give her any fluids.  I am assuming she was dehydrated and would assume fluids would be given.  They did give her one bottle of water while she waited.  They did a scan and everything was normal and after 6 plus hours in the hospital they sent her on her merry way. 

Thankfully, this happened on the last day of her trip because her burns were pretty gnarly. They ran all up the back of her left arm. She literally had about 6 hours from the time she was released from the hospital to go back to the hostel pack up and head to the airport.

When she got home she saw our family doctor.  They redressed the wounds, confirmed that they were indeed 2nd degree, gave us antibiotics in case of infection because three days later we moved her into her apartment in Raleigh.  

That was a fun weekend.  You know how sometimes everything that can go wrong does?  She moved into this apartment sight unseen. Joe picked it out for her after touring several complexes that were in her budget.  The layout is perfect for her but it's kind of dark and receives minimal natural light.  So that was a bit of a bummer for her.  

There were a bunch of things in the apartment that needed attention.  Three weeks later, everything is fixed now but it was a disappointment that these things weren't addressed prior to her moving in. She now has a new door, a new washer and dryer, and an AC that actually works among other things. (Did I mention that the heat index was over 100 degrees when we moved her in?)

We had purchased furniture before the move and it was delivered while we were there but the couch they brought was the wrong color so that was an ordeal (and a lot of time on hold with Bob's Discount Furniture) to get corrected.

Dan and I were in Raleigh with her helping her move for an entire weekend (Friday morning to Sunday evening) and I can confirm that we did some damage in Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Marshall, Target and Walmart getting everything set up.  But her apartment is really cute and she's happy with how everything looks.  And I think she is enjoying having her own place. 

She started a new job with a marketing firm as a public relations account executive.  She's working from home (which she hates...my girl is too social for that) but she's learning a lot.  

So now both kids are in Raleigh, and I miss them both so much but....

they both rode home together last Thursday night and spent the entire weekend with us for the Fourth of July!  My heart was so happy!

Thursday night we had dinner together at home and sat around the dinner table and chatted and got caught up on life.  Peter has also just moved into another apartment.  He's living with one of his fraternity brothers who is also one of his best friends from high school.  I think he is really enjoying only having one other roommate and being in an apartment as opposed to being in a house with from between 3 to 8 other roommates which has been his living experience the past 4 years.

On Friday we had brunch at Miam Breakfast House.  It was delicious! If you've never been, I highly recommend.  After that the boys did yardwork and Sarah and I did laundry and things around the house.  Then Peter and Dan headed out for a drive and to check out a flea market.  Sarah and I tried to hit up a local store/coffee shop but they were closed for the holdiay weekend.  So we stopped at Starbucks because they were open.

That evening we headed to Truist Stadium to watch the Winston-Salem Dash play baseball and then saw an awesome fireworks display.  Because it was the 250th anniversary of the country the fireworks were longer and bigger than ever!  They were fantastic!!!

On Saturday evening we went to Mass and then we had a cookout and invited my mom and brother over for burgers and hotdogs.  Later that evening we headed outside to enjoy the sunset and some drinks around the firepit (sans fire because it was in the upper 90s) and we also got to enjoy a great fireworks show that occurred in a neighborhood behind us.  We had a great view from the fire pit.  It was only semi obstructed by the tree line but that didn't matter because we had seen such a great show the night before.

On Sunday we had Sunday lunch at moms and then we went to Foothills Tasting Room for some drinks.  Peter works from home every Monday and Sarah works from home every day, so they were both able to spend Sunday night here and work from here on Monday. 

I was so excited to have them at home for four nights!  I really do sleep more soundly when we are all under one roof! 

On Monday evening they headed back to Raleigh, and I came home from work to an empty house.  Whomp whomp.....

But they will both be able to join us in a few weeks when we head to the Cape for vacation!!!!  

Here are a few photos from our weekend.

Walking to the ballpark.

.  Had to get a shot with a view of downtown Winston-Salem in the background.

Selfie with my girl!

Guys selfie!  They always humor me.

And Dan is always so kind to humor me with a family selfie.  

View from our front porch on Fourth of July morning.

My girl loves an Aperal Spritz so we had to make them for the 4th!

All decked out in his Patriot Grateful Dead garb!

Mom and Brad!  Aren't they the cutest?