Cape Cod Vacation Aug 24 – 31 2012

Cape Cod Vacation Aug 24 – 31 2012

What makes a great vacation? Fun, food, and family all in a great location! This year’s late summer Cape Cod family get-together/get-away had plenty of these four elements. It goes without saying that Cape Cod is a lovely place with many charms; the sea, the bay, the dunes and of course the quaint towns. However the location was made special by where we stayed, a sprawling, airy, and well lit home of Raghu and Deepa. It gave us the room and space to come together, and at the same time allowed us to  retreat for an afternoon nap to our cozy nooks, or grab some ‘be alone and read’ time if one chose to. Because it is situated in the tail of the Scorpion, the bay and the ocean were equally accessible. We could choose to take a few minutes of walk to the Bay and watch the gorgeous sunset at the Great Hollow beach any day we wanted, without having to strenuously plan for it. The ocean was equally easy to get to. Just a ten minute drive, and a simple resolve to wake up early, can offer you the unforgettable delights of a spectacular sunrise. If you were lucky, you had the added bonus of sighting seals that seem to magically appear out of nowhere just as the sun rises above the horizon!

As for family, the scene was complete with the ‘usual suspects’. The clan has some recent additions in the form of new ‘Bostonians’, (Priya, Praveen and Tulsi and Nitya, Glenn and Nikhil) giving the gathering the distinction of spanning 3 generations , A/K, Badri/Sujata , Raghu/Deepa at the top tier (Yes, Raghu and Deepa, You are moving in to the ‘elder’ category!), Priya/Praveen (for now), Nitya/Glenn, Ranju/Andrew, Priya/Nick at the middle tier, Nikhil and Tulsi in the last but not least ‘tiny tots’ tier. In the coming years we hope to see some shuffling among these tiers and maybe some new members as well (there is a lot of room in the third tier!!) There were at least three families at a time, filling the air with plenty of chatter and laughter, hustle and bustle, cooking, wining, dining, etc… Now, what about food? True to our Indian tradition, the fridge was overflowing, especially when Badri arrived with  an array of spices, a big bag of onions, a large container full of rice, and a  host of home grown vegetables all of which was further supplemented by numerous visits to the grocery store for corn, cheese, and what not…

Here is a recap of some very memorable moments….

What’s in a hat?

Krishnan and Raghu walk together as a ‘pair’ in P Town, flaunting their newly bought Fedora (like) hats and fitting right in! It prompted a woman passing by to say ‘Hey, You look great in those hats. Both of you!”

Deepa makes a solemn statement about her ability to transcend worldly pleasures during our walk on the pier surrounded by the ocean In P Town. “What do I really need to make me happy? Just a shirt, a pant, and a glass of water!”  A moment later, the wind blows off her stylish hat and she runs desperately after it, looking for it and ready to jump in the ocean to retrieve it! 

Coyotes (or were they?)

Nitya had a ‘Jurassic Park’ moment in an impromptu six in the morning walk to the beach. She encountered a coyote which was soon joined by a few more. She had the presence of mind not to look them in the eye, or go around taking pictures, but quietly stepped back! Impressive!  A few unnamed individuals remained skeptical about the ‘coyote’ story (may be they were just big dogs??) due to the lack of an eye witness, but interestingly no one ventured out at six in the morning after this.

Seals, Seals everywhere

A casual stop at the Race point beach brought us an unexpected gift! As the sun began to descend on the horizon, schools after school of seals were seen swimming westward, apparently in an attempt to flee from the sharks. They were so close to the shore that you could see them clearly, diving in and bobbing out. They came in herds of three or four, and as the sun set drew closer, the herds became larger with sizes of 8 or even 10 each. It was an exhilarating sight and an unforgettable experience!

P Town Glitters

Raghu’s deck offers a spectacular view of the ocean with Province town fringing it on the other side. Just when the sun sets, P Town lights up, glowing and shimmering in the night sky! An awesome sight and one that adds yet another star to the 5 star rating of the Raghu /Deepa Cape Cod resort!

And more simple delights…

The endless jewelry shopping spree at P Town, Badri’s  yummy “katharikkai Karamadu” ‘(egg plant curry), late afternoon swim in the Great Pond, the bare footed dune walk in the hot sun, the sun rise, the sunsets, the balmy weather, ice creams and warm chocolate chip cookies, Rieslings and Sauvignon Blancs.. The list goes on….