Did you feel it? Because you were robbed. And no, I’m not talking about the sky-high gas prices.
I’m talking about pre-Memorial Day Cape Cod. All the sudden, Memorial Day weekend is knocking on the door, and soon the Cape and Islands will be flooded with day-trippers, tourists and returning snow birds. I love summer, but spring and fall have become my favorite seasons because we get all the benefits of the Cape’s beauty BEFORE the flurry of seasonal visitors arrive.
This year, we were robbed!
The weather has been terrible, and we’ve already suffered through bridge repair traffic and what do we have to show for it? Nada, zip, zilch. No early beach days to sneak in before beach stickers go into effect. No glorious “ice cream weather” days to patronize the seasonal joints that open early to give us locals our first licks of summer. Don’t get me wrong, the cold, rainy weather hasn’t stopped me from donning a sweatshirt and taking the family for a scoop, but it certainly is not the same as enjoying it on a gloriously sunny day. It’s kind of like not getting in that cup of coffee before the hectic routine of the day starts! It’s just something you NEED to get you in the right frame of mind to proceed.
We get a limited window of stress-free enjoyment pre and post season, so to be able to reacquaint ourselves with our favorite year-round and seasonal spots without the hustle, bustle and crowds is simply the best.
Sometimes it feels like those two seasons are our reward for sharing our beautiful Cape and Islands all summer. This year, there was none of that. Late snow led to cold and rain much longer than normal, and now, Memorial Day is here.
Get ready for traffic, lines at your favorite spots, and an all-around much busier place. Tourism dollars make the Cape and Islands a very happy place, so I’m not down on the tourists, just upset that we missed out on our private paradise.
I know with certainty, all the wonderful things we love about summer on the Cape and Islands will still be enjoyed, it might just take a little longer, cost a little more, or we might have to wait in line to enjoy it. Cheers to another great summer and I certainly won’t balk at the opportunity to once again experience a less-hectic Cape Cod this fall.
