As the famous saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. When it comes to taking pictures of my kids that statement is 1000% correct.
Last month, in my blog, I wrote about our first road trip. It was a short vacation filled with many fond memories. This week my family and I are spending the end of the summer in Cape Cod. I’m currently halfway through the vacation and every inch of my body is hurting. I hope I make it to the end of the week.
The Strange’s loaded up the car and took off on Saturday. The car was clean (I’m not a NEAT FREAK) up until we got to Stamford. Brady actually asked if we were almost there. To quote the Eagles, “I was thinking to myself this could be heaven or this could be hell”.
My wife wants to stop all the time. I won’t stop. She could see a fucking water tower and say we should stop. Cameron is watching the iPad and compliant, that he can’t hear it. After a few hours on the road, my wife asks me to put the music on Pandora, that’ll put the kids to sleep. I’m like a fucking punching bag at this point. I put on my 70’s and 80’s country channel, and Brady fell right to sleep. Kids today don’t appreciate good music.
We rented a charming house about 300 yards to the beach. The kids are as excited as am I because there is a hotel right there and tons of young ladies by the pool wearing bikinis.
Going out to dinner with my kids is just heaven. They both can’t sit still and the whole restaurant is hearing us. I’ve gotten to the point of just smiling like a bad politician as people walk by. My kids eat about 20% of the food that we order for them and ask what’s for dessert. Meanwhile, I’m eating like I just got voted off Survivor because I know I have no time to spare.
The picture that I’m using for this blog comes from when we took the kids to the Chatham Fish Pier. Every night after 4 pm a bunch of seals come up to the pier.
We had gone into town because there is a great bookstore (yes, I get very excited for bookstores), and we wanted to get a few things. To say that the kids were out of hand in the store would be a compliment. Cameron said “books stink” to the owner. Brady was throwing books around. I’m chatting it up with the owner about some presidential biographies that I recently read. She looks at me like “get your brats out of here”. I’m embarrassed, my wife is appalled.
We go get a coffee, and it’s getting more crazy by the minute. Finally, I suggest the seals.
The kids are happy. But bouncing off the wall. What the fuck was I thinking? At this point, I should be taking them home.
We get to the pier and Brady needs to be held at all times. He’s tired and cranky and would fall in the water in two seconds if you let him go. Cameron is screaming at the seals and asks if he can throw some pebbles in the water. I’m now immune to everything. I’ve had it. I’m just smiling to everyone and saying that they are just excited to see the seals.
Brady is now kicking and screaming. Cameron is throwing leaves that he found on the ground into the water. Every other kid there is standing quietly by their parents, and my kids are acting like maniacs.
The only thing that diverts the attention away from my kids, was when a seagull shit on this nice elderly couple. Years ago, I would have laughed but I basically went over and thanked them for taking one for the team.
Finally, I got Cameron to settle down and walked out on the dock. Cameron is like “can I have your phone? I want to take some pictures”. I say no… that phone would end up on the bottom of the sea within 3 seconds. I look back and Brady is freaking out now because he wants to go out there by himself. It wasn’t happening.
Now Cameron wants to show mommy the seal and I have to watch Brady, who is crying and running around in circles. He’s tired at this point and needs a bottle, as does mommy and daddy. We change places, and I immediately throw Brady on my shoulders. He likes this and he calms down.
I chat it up with a nice couple and immediately warn them on the dangers on having kids.
Brady is finally settled down and I decide to let him go on the dock. He gets to see the seals up close. He is happy. Cameron now starts bragging to him that he saw more seals. I say to Lorelei. Let’s go…
We get back to the car, and it’s dinner time. The kids are really worked up still. Now they are fighting over a water bottle. I suggest a counter-serve place for dinner. It’s so much easier, plus I don’t have to tip the waiter/waitress 30% for tolerating us. We sit down. Brady immediately spills water all over the place and Cameron is telling the nice senior citizen couple in the next booth that Brady did it.
Finally, we get home, put the kids to bed and have a chance to look at the pictures. They are cute, we will remember them for a while. We will never remember the battles that we went through earlier in the evening to get those pictures. It’s just another priceless memory. And I can’t wait for more of them to come.
Enjoy the last few weeks of summer, everyone.
Native New Yorker, now living in Connecticut. Husband, and father of two amazing boys. Kidney transplant recipient, and a big supporter of organ donation #donatelife. Mortgage banker, but not by choice. In my free time, I enjoy golf, reading (especially presidential biographies), and finding that hole in the wall restaurant that has great food.