Cape Cod 2021 - Vacation Part 1

 Surfers? Who would have thought? But when it comes to spending time with the Skoniecznys the girls are up for anything. Our 2021 summer vacation started out with a full week on Cape Cod in a house we rented with Mike, Kristen, Ella, Ethan, and Eli. To say that we were all excited for this would be a massive understatement. We hit the National Seashore on our first full day after picking up wetsuits from the local surf shop. Those wetsuits made all the difference when spending time in the 54 degree Atlantic Ocean waters.

Ella was very kind to give Callie and Reese some pointers when it came to surfing, and impressively enough they were able to stand up on several occasions. It might be worth an official lesson the next time we go to the Cape. Another big hit of the beach day was Spikeball, which was a new purchase for us, but a familiar game to the kids.

Needless to say, both families are pretty competitive, but fortunately enjoy having fun in the midst of it all. That is not the only similarity in the families however.

Sarah and Kristen enjoy vacationing together because they like to keep an active schedule. Although there weren't too many pictures taken on this day, we did a hike along the beach in Wellfleet. Mike, John, and the kids were thinking there could have been other things to do during the day, but Kristen and Sarah left the crew behind to reach Jeremy Point. They were invigorated by their successful journey, but almost left behind for ice cream when they took longer than expected to get back to the parking lot. 

The reward for everyone was not only ice cream but a couple of rounds of miniature golf at Poit's. While Sarah and others are not huge fans of this particular establishment, it is where John has played since he was a kid and Ethan Skonieczny is also a fan. 

The main thing is it was one more fun group activity for the two families, and that's what keeps John and Mike smiling through it all. These kinds of vacations are a dream come true.

The next day we ventured north to Provincetown so that we could go on a whale watch. Not only was this whale watch active, it also inspired our budding marine biologist Ella, who, with some nudging from her mother, got up the courage to talk to the naturalist on the boat about schooling and career paths. We can't wait to go on a future whale watch where Ella is guiding the way. 

One cannot go to Provincetown and not explore the stores and streets. Once the whale watch was over we hit the town, and each kid already had their target destinations in mind. At the top of the list were candy shops, but we also hoped for some time at Cuffy's, the clothing destination for those in the know.

You all will be happy to know that everyone's desires were met. Plenty of fudge, taffy, and other assorted goodies left with us, and as you will soon see in the pictures that follow, we did plenty to support Cuffys.

In a combination of coincidence and planning, our week on the Cape overlapped with the first of three weeks that Nana Banana and Sport had rented their own place nearby. Aunt Suzy, Uncle Brian, Zoey, and Abby took advantage of that fact and flew out from Colorado. Aunt Katie, Uncle Chris, and Michael also made plans to come up for part of the week. (Unfortunately Brendan had to work) Now our awesome vacation became even more awesome.

No one was happier about this convergence of people than these two. Of course, they would be happy if we were all converging at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere, but it made it that much more special that we were on Cape Cod. 

This year marked the 49th summer that they spent part of their vacation on the Cape. Although the beaches visited have changed, the joy of being together has not.

This particular day on the bay was filled with paddle boarding, deep trench digging, more spike ball, and more marine life discovery. In short, it was a lot of fun. The day came to a close too soon, and unfortunately the Skonieczny's had to leave a day early so they could attend a family wedding. But we were able to have a group dinner and then return to the beach for one last sunset. And if you look closely you can see a whole lot of Cuffy wear on kids and adults alike. All told, the people in this crew have seen quite a few sunsets over the bay in the past five decades.  

Chatham is always a must visit location on a trip to the Cape for a couple of reasons. First, it has an adorable downtown and one of the girls' favorite candy shops.

And when it comes to candy, Callie, Reese, and Sarah are not the only ones with a sweet tooth in the extended family. Uncle Chris in particular is always up for a candy store run. Even better, he is always generous with his purchases.

Another attraction in Chatham are the seals that gather around the docks where the fishing boats come in. There are always plenty of seals to watch and although we have never seen them, it is because of these seals that more and more great white sharks have been spotted along the National Seashore over the past decade or so. Indeed, Chatham stores have plenty of shark merchandise to purchase as they capitalize on this recent phenomenon.

Another day on the Cape meant another round of miniature golf. This time we went to one Sarah had her eyes on instead of good old Poits. There were large paper mâché animals throughout in addition to a variety of obstacles.

With a group of twelve we divided into three groups to play the course. Mini-golf is always fun, but it is even more enjoyable when you get to do it with family who enjoy being together.

Time together like this also creates numerous opportunities for great photographs, and we had to limit ourselves to keep this post somewhat under control. However, we couldn't leave this one out, which highlights that Callie has not only outpaced her mom but also at least one of her aunts. Watch out Katie, she's coming for you!

Any summer vacation on the Cape is going to produce a lot of photographs, of course, and this one was no different.

This lobster pot buoy Christmas tree was on the Eastham town green right by the windmill, and while John turned in our rental house keys, Sarah and the girls did yet another classic photo shoot.

Although our rental had ended we chose to spend one more night on the Cape to soak in some more family time. It was a very wise decision on our part, as it gave all of us more time for smiles like these. These four love spending time together.

Since this was our last dinner on the Cape, Sport wanted to ensure that it was one we wouldn't forget. He and Aunt Suzy got steamers and lobster so that we all could have some good seafood before parting ways.

Reese was very interested in trying out both of these traditional Cape Cod delicacies. She was not impressed by the steamers and while she liked the lobster claws and legs she could do without the tails. We have a feeling this may change in the years ahead, but for now it just meant more for the rest of us. It was a great week packed with lots of fun, friends, and family. But our trip wasn't even halfway over.