#102. '23 Summer Vacay Part 1: Fun with Friends in NY and the Cape

The first part of our August summer vacation brought us to upstate New York, before a pilgrimage back to Cape Cod and Provincetown.  We were lucky enough to meet up with Evanston friends in New York and Cape Cod, and then some time with our longtime Chicago friends living in Provincetown at the end of the Cape.

 Our journey began at a farmhouse near Cooperstown, NY,...

...the former farmhouse of former NY senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan ('77-'01).  Lucky us, we are friends with folks in Evanston that have current family ties to the home.

The house came with a barn and swimming pool,...

...had fun places to hang out,... 

...and a lot of memorabilia from Senator Moynihan's time in Washington (here sitting as an advisor to Richard Nixon in the White House)!  

While the house itself was plenty cool, the kids found the most fun at a pond on the property... 

...capturing tiny salamanders!!

This was a FULL SCALE operation with all hands on deck!

Luke was great at locating the catch...

...and Clare swooped in with the net (from the swimming pool)!

Dozens of salamanders were collected in a short amount of time and, good news for the salamanders, all were returned to the pond!

Once hunting salamanders got old (or didn't!),...

...the twins and their friends set out to hike the grounds...

...including a visit to the barn...

...and hanging around the farm.

New York was a great start to the vacation!!

The next leg of our trip had us caravaning with our Evanston friends on a 5-hour drive to Cape Cod, both to see long time friends formerly from Chicago and to meet up with even more friends from back home in Evanston.

After surviving a very rainy day on the Cape, we spent the next one visiting Lecount Hollow Beach.

Even though these kids have beaches (along the shores of Lake Michigan) back home, visiting the beach of an ocean was definitely exciting!! 

Truth be told, the water was (beyond) cold...

...but these four Evanston friends didn't seem to care.  

Even though it was warmer on land...

...nothing was gonna stop these two from boogie boarding and catching waves...easily the highlight of the day!

After a few hours in the cold Atlantic, we came inland to visit the famous kettle 'pond' located near our Evanston friend's family home in Wellfleet.

The water was warmer and clearer, and these two had a blast.

After the beach and pond, we headed back to the Wellfleet House.

There was a fun group hike up a pretty steep hill,...

...but everyone made it!

There was also time to relax on the hammock with friends...

...or alone!!

We were absolutely spoiled guests!!  Wellfleet Oysters were shucked...

...and freshly caught clams were baked.

The stuffies were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, especially paired with a Whale's Tale beer!!

After saying goodbye to our Evanston friends, we Continued hanging out on the Cape in Provincetown, visiting with our Chicago friends.  

Being our 3rd summer in a row in Ptown, we knew exactly how to have a good time!  We made a few laps up and down Commercial Street...

...said 'hello again' to the hanging schooner model inside the Provincetown library,...

...and ate and drank at some of our favorite spots, including 'Patio'...

...and the 'Canteen' (for a game of cards!).

As our time on the Cape started to wind down, we visited the beach one more time...

...to look for treasures.

There were seals close to shore everywhere...

...and sword fighting back on shore!

As the sun began to fall...

...we reflected on another great time with great friends on the Cape!!

After leaving Cape Cod, we next made the journey north to Maine.  Stay tuned for the next blog update!