Seagull Beach Friday
After all these years I am still in love with Cape Cod! The Cape is timeless, and it is one of my favorite places to be! The dunes, the abundance of summery beaches, the hot buttery lobster rolls, the salt air, and all the crystal clear memories keep calling me back.
This past
Friday I took a much needed day-cation. Two of my best pals, Gina and Gracie,
picked me up and we were Bourne Bridge Bound. We were also traffic proof. My
friend Gina has a system where you call out your favorite songs and just like
that they’re played. (As a music fanatic that is heaven to me.) So, imagine
driving to the Cape sipping iced coconut coffee, munching on Chips Ahoy cookies
and gummy sharks, stretched out in the back seat with plenty of a/c, while listening
to the tune Crystal Blue Persuasion
as the Cape lures you back. Traffic smaffic! We played songs like Summer by War (I urge you to check this song out right now). The mellow
beat, and laid back lyrics seduce you with an incredible summer time vibe. Yes, its summer, my time of year….
Keeping
things Ageless (as this blog promises) Gina, one of my new best buds, is
nineteen, so we played some contemporary songs like Old Town Road and Boys in the
Band! Seeing Gina so excited over those songs immediately brought me back
to being nineteen (which is exactly the age I started going to Hyannis).
As soon as
we crossed the bridge and reached the Cape I continued a tradition of mine. We
blasted Joni Mitchell’s Carey. Come on
down to the mermaid café and I will buy you a bottle of wine….That song
just sums up that carefree and barefoot Cape Cod feeling and the feeling inside
my heart. Hearing this classic song with all four wheels now on Cape Cod
ground, just created an outpouring; a myriad of memories of Hyannis, Dennis,
Chatham, Yarmouth, Wellfleet, and more just enveloped and comforted me.
Gina, New Friends, Old Places
So many
summers of my young adult life were spent here with friends and family. I
vividly remember walking down Main Street in Hyannis always dressed in
something eye-catching. One summer night,
between my short shorts, cowboy boots, and big hat, and, my sister’s handsome surfer
dude boyfriend, we got so many stares. I felt invincible. Then there was
mini-golfing with my family wearing black Lycra pants, a neon backless shirt
and heels! I purposely whacked the ball into the street to make everyone laugh.
I could remember the time we all got dressed up and danced all night at Tingles
(a popular night club back in the day). There were countless hot summer nights at
the legendary Cape Cod Coliseum (they had no a/c) sweating it out to J. Geils,
Duke and the Drivers, Aerosmith and many more top-notch rock shows. We rented
beach houses, cabins, hotel rooms and efficiencies. I remember renting a
stunning place called the Maylene Townhouse back in the mid-eighties.
PICTURE of a Picture Circa 1983 Cape Cod
And
another time literally rolling out of bed to the beach! I can still hear my
brother-in-law calling out “Who wants a lunar burger” as we all stayed up late
to watch the lunar eclipse in August of 89. Some of the best times by the sea were
with my first boyfriend. We made out on every beach after Bourne, and drank homemade
strawberry margaritas as soon as we arrived. (I spiked them when Aunty and
Uncle D weren’t looking). Sometimes I can still feel my first love pushing me
on that swing that was outside our room at the Seashell Motel in Dennis Port.
Cape Cod Morning
I
remember being with my cousins in Yarmouth and running barefoot across the road
to buy more champagne while tons of cars blaring summer music honked at me. We
had just come home from a lobster feast and my cousin still talks about how I “ate
every part of that thing like Daryl Hannah in Splash!”
Ming Meditating
Every June
for the last ten years my Ming spent a week on the Cape at a cozy little place
called Holly Tree. He discovered every pristine, private, and peaceful lake and
pond the Cape has to offer. Since I could never get a full week off, I would
always join him for part of the trip. We always got a corner table at
Mattakesse Wharf to watch the sunset. I remember saying to him how good can
this place be if they have to advertise in a tourist magazine. Well, once
again, Ming was right. It turned out to be quintessential Cape and one of our
favorite places to dine. See the sunset. We took this picture from our table.
And of
course the biggest allure of the Cape is the beaches. So, this past extremely
hot Friday, I strutted across the gorgeous beaches of Cape Cod keeping up old
traditions with new friends….. We even stopped by a little cove where Ming and
I would often practice our yoga and meditation. I was elated to be there as I
deepen my connection to Ming and renew my ties to Cape Cod.
On Cape Cod with My Mingman
On our way
home as we drove away with the sand and dunes behind us playing the Cape Cod
Song… “If you like making love at midnight on the dunes of the Cape…”
My love
affair with Cape Cod continues. I am so grateful for all the memories, past,
present, and future! And, I just can’t wait to go back. I am still discovering new places. P.B Boulangerie
(cape’s best croissants) and Bean stalk coffee (best coffee) here I come… both
just happen to be in a little old town with big waves and sublime
beaches….Wellfleet!
What’s your favorite summer song….
Your favorite place on the Cape?
I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes:
Man, life sure is good (and ageless) on old Cape Cod
–Renee Gold
