Anticipation

It's 11:55 P.M. and I haven't packed for the Cape yet. We're leaving at 5:45 in the morning. But it was a busy day. Took my Dad to the doctor [good report] and out for a lovely lunch for his 87th birthday, which was today. Then do phone interview, walk in park, grocery shop, visit friend, make dinner, do dishes, wash clothes, do work.

It's okay. By now, I know exactly what I need for my salty getaway. I've been going to the Cape for 45 years. God, that is one very scary statistic.

Then
When I was little, my mom had us all pack Friday night so we could leave before dawn on Saturday. We had a one-week cottage rental on a dirt road near Great Pond. She wanted to squeeze out every drop of Cape Cod that she could.

Can't remember what I packed, only that there was a real suitcase. We were really going away! Me, my mom, my dad, my two brothers and Sis.

We went to the Wellfleet Drive-in [it's still there, even the same old film at intermission, with dancing hotdogs and ice cream bars]. And Cranberry Cove--once to a make-your-own-sundae place, a huge treat. Coast Guard Beach. Lighthouses. Mini golfing. I remember being so small [4, I think] that I stayed home with my mom in the cottage while my dad took my brothers and Sis to the drive-in to see Planet of the Apes.

I slept in a crib in my parents' bedroom there. "Bob white! Bob white!" said the birds as they woke us up in the morning. My Dad laughed with me about it.

Now
This is a girls' trip over spring break. The husbands are staying home to work, and my friend Anne and I are going with my Figgy and her two daughters, and our two dogs [Kelly and Sug, one big, one small, one black, one white, one rambunctious, one afraid of her own shadow--and both females, naturally].

Here's what I have to throw in my bag. Sunscreen, good books, a cookbook, a pedometer, cell phone with charger, a skort, some skirts [I love skirts], a pair of workout pants, sneakers and socks, high-heeled sandals, beauty products [especially that lavender mint shampoo and Ahava shower gel], my work folders for a couple of assignments, some pretty tops and cardigans, my nightgown, my toothbrush, floss, laptop. It's much easier than the days when I had to pack for me and Figgy, or for me and Punch. Figgy just [over]packs for herself. But when I think about packing a folding crib and baby bath seat and all the other things a baby needs, it seems overwhelming. For me, it was.

Because the house on Wonderstrand Way belongs to my father--though he isn't there--I also have to bring household things. Paper towels and toilet paper, because H. buys them in bulk at Costco, so they're cheaper coming from here. Sug's dry food and wet food. Usually groceries, baking ingredients and more, but we're only going for three nights, and besides, I feel so uprooted that I want to diverge and do something different. But I will say that I have spent more $ than I should have in the past on the Cape when I wanted to make brownies but forgot my brownie pan [so bought one] or whisk [ditto].

I still have another work email to do. But this will be my first time on the Cape since I started blogging months ago, so I really look forward to blogging from there! I also hope we get to the Chatham Candy Manor and the Lilly Pulitzer store. We'll see. There's only so much fun you can pack into four days.