August 25, 2009 Cape Cod Lieutenant Island

August 25, 2009 Tuesday at Cape Cod Lieutenant Island

We took a ride to the town of Well Fleet to check out the fishing off the pier. Not much action except the few small ones caught by Max, age 9 and the story about the one that got away from Olivia, age 12.

The walk up to Macs Seafood fish house had great fresh lemonade shakes and root beer floats. Topping on the cake was free wifi and public picnic tables with a view of the ocean. Even with an umbrella the sun was so bright you could barely see the computer screen. John was sending a message on facebook while I was reading it across the picnic table. Interesting. I could just reach over and talk to him in person. What has this social networking come to?

About four in the afternoon at high tide we drove down toward the wooden bridge that separates Lieutenant Island from the main land. This includes the little 10 month old baby in her new blue check bathing suit. We waded (John carried Anya of course) about 3 football fields in length on the asphalt road bed to the wooden bridge in calf high tide water. At the bridge kids and some parents were jumping off into the 8 – 10 feet of tidal water. Rachel held Anya and walked into the grassy area along the edge of the bridge, put her into a rubber ducky where her legs hung through the slots. Anya just loved this experience. A real water baby.

By this time John and Stan and jumped into the water several time. Families of five were holding hands, counting to three, and then jumping off the bridge into the water together. Finally, I took the leap myself. The water was warm as bath water. I swam to the edge of the bridge and climbed right out. Fun for an afternoon.

Dinner tonight for a couple of us was bean / veggie burritos. We shared the extras with anyone who wanted them. The Chinese people are eating this gourmet home cooked Chinese food by the plates full night after night. I feel like a real vacation slacker. I tried their spring egg rolls - to die for. John cracked opened a bunch of those slurrpy oysters again and they were all downed in a flash. Bar-B Q ribs, fresh salad and vegetable kabobs for the Chinese. Yes – I’m the cooking slacker at this fair.

August 26, 2009 Wednesday

I didn’t try the Chinese cakes that Ky (Connor’s grandmother) made until breakfast time. When she was making them I remarked that I could read part of the recipe; 1 teasp vanilla, 1 ½ cups of flour-and so forth, but the directions were foreign to me as they were in Chinese. One of the cakes was made in a flat pan was layered with caramelized walnut halves. It was similar to the texture of flan, but more dense and chewy. Ky said is was a New Years cake that they served during the new year. It is very interesting to share a slice of their culture.

Fulong and Ky (grandparents to Connor) traveled from Chicago where he is a famous research scientist with the University of Illinois as is she. They are first generation immigrants and have been here about 20 years. It was hard to leave their country and family, but they both have important positions that will make a difference in all our lives from their research. Chen, their daughter and mother of Connor, also immigrated when she was about 10 or so. So immersion with both cultures and languages has been a part of her life. Chen completed her education at MIT and Harvard med school.

Today is guy’s day out so they all went across the wooden bridge to hit some golf balls. Stan tried out the batting cage and was still able to hit some thrown by machine like overhand pitch with a softball.

Rachel and I went with the baby to pick up some groceries and stop by the Snow library for a wifi fix in the town of Orleans just a few miles down the road.