What I Did On My Summer Vacation...

Here's our trip to the Cape, summarized in pictures:

The campsite:

Campsite

That's our Max-Sport Trail-Lite 25' bunkhouse travel trailer. All the comforts of home in a package that can easily be towed by a ½ ton pickup truck. Since Mrs. G. does not do tenting, we "compromised" on the travel trailer as a way to placate her disdain for "roughing it"...

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Naturally, we went to the beach and took home some souvenirs:

Beach treasure

Sandollars. You want to see pure, raw, unfiltered delight? Watch a child's face as they dig up a sandollar on a sand bar in the middle of the afternoon on their summer vacation.

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We took a day trip to Martha's Vineyard

Oak Bluffs

This is Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard. Lined with cottages and centered with a large bandstand, it has something else very important for parents of small, wound-up children: Lots of open space to run around and bleed off excess energy...

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Here's BabyGirl G. being silly on MV:

Silly Girl!

Yes, she's usually like this. She inherited her silly side from her paternal genetic donor... ;)

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We walked out to the jetty that is the start of the Cape Cod Canal:

Jetty

That foghorn is one of the recurring sights and sounds from my childhood on the Cape. On foggy, stormy nights, it was a steady sonic reminder of something solid, a beacon not only to ships but to young ears.

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Here's TheBoy hamming it up on the jetty:

TheBoy

Dunno if you can make it out, but he's got his "Flat Stanley" in his hand, a summer project for the start of third grade.

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Here's an odd shot: The Mirant Power Plant in Sandwich

Power!

Ever since I was about six years old, we've been coming to Cape Cod for summer vacations. My father was a MA state cop, and his last few years on the force he was stationed at Logan Airport. The Cape is roughly the same distance south of Logan as we are north, so we would spend weeks upon weeks at the Cape.

The smokestack of the power plant is the very first thing you see as you turn down the road to the state preservation where the campground is located. For many, I'm sure, it's an unpleasant eyesore; a nuisance that they'd rather not look at. For me, however, it feels like home. When I see that smokestack, I know I'm only minutes from my second-favorite place on earth.

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Here's a shot just for Caleb:

USCG

There is, naturally, a strong US Coast Guard presence on the Cape, providing assistance to the hustle and bustle of both the private craft and commercial ships that pass through the canal. Despite the "no wake" zones posted at many areas along the canal, many captains do not heed the admonition and rip through the canal, leaving impressive wakes behind. And these brave folks keep the peace there...

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And that was my vacation in a nutshell!

That is all.