Cape Cod On $40.00 A Day

Yes…the Pierces are on something of a budget this vacation…actually its not all that bad but I did decide to make a game of how little I can spend on this trip. It is a little twisted but a guy has to keep himself entertained.

Here are my ground rules;

• That what I spent to get ready for the trip does not count. This includes groceries, camping supplies (a cooler, propane canisters for the camp stove, flashlights, bug spray, lots and lots of bug spray), as well as the reservation for the camp grounds.

• That I have to average $40.00 a day. Some days are going to cost more than others…I just need to plan accordingly

• We have to have fun. I could spend the day at the camp grounds reading and sipping coffee…I would enjoy myself but my kids would not. Besides…my daughter would try to tattle on me to her mother (where she gets the idea that that would work is beyond me).

So…with day four of the trip finished we are actually coming in below the $40.00 spending limit. Today we built a campfire, went to the Sandwich library, went mini golfing, visited a fish hatchery, went to the beach, had dinner at a clam shack, attended a Wareham Gatemen Cape Cod League baseball game, and went out for ice cream. All of this for a total cost of $48.00.

Tuesday we spent $12.00.

Prior vacations, whether they were to Nova Scotia or to Washington D.C. or to California were all about the destination. This trip is more about the four of us being together. We had great times on those trips but like a lot of people, I had to scale back on what I could do this summer….and in the process I think the four of us learned a great lesson; that what you do matters less that who you do it with.

On Vacation

I am going on vacation....or as much of a vacation one can have while managing work obligations and a job search. Yes...I am seeking a new vocation so if you know of anyone looking to hire a frustrated mortgage broker with a PhD in European History point them in my direction. I also make great home fries.

But about the vacation...I have to admit that I am not a big fan of vacations. I prefer the ebb and flow of my everyday routine to picking up my little dog and pony show and moving it 40 miles down the road to Cape Cod. However, the kids want to go and a dad has to do what a dad has to do.

I can back off on the job hunt for a few days and work....well...some work is unavoidable. Hopefully the weather will be nice and the kids will behave. If they don't, well....I could always leave them to their vacation and I could go home. Would that be wrong?

Coffee

I AM OUT OF COFFEE...was my first thought when I sat up bolt upright at 2:15 this morning. I AM OUT OF COFFEE....what am I going to do in the morning? Oh my G*d...I AM OUT OF COFFEE. I am so screwed because I AM OUT OF COFFEE.

There are certain things I always keep in the house. They are; Pepsi, peanut butter, sourdough bread, cheese, milk, grapes, vodka, light cream, and coffee. Of these light cream and coffee are the most important because its the first thing I have in the morning and I really cannot start without it. I can go for a day without eating but heaven help me if I have to go without my morning cup of joe. I used to keep a can of hash in stock as well as there once was a time when that was a vital supply (heaven help me if there wasn't a ready source of protein in the house in the morning)...while some things change the need for my morning coffee remains.

I took myself out to dinner last night (Central Kitchen, Cambridge MA, mussels, fries, salad, two beers, $25.00 including tip...you have to go) and I found myself craving the this morning's cup of coffee. It did strike me as odd that after such a great meal I found myself jonesing for my morning coffee. So I was truly disappointed this morning when I realized I was out of coffee.


At 6:45 I got up and drove to the grocery down the street that opens at 7:00. As I found myself waiting outside for the doors to be unlocked I could not help but think of the guys I used to see on my way to work lined up waiting for the liquor store in Chinatown to open. Could it be that my coffee "issue" is as bad as their drinking problem? Don't know. Don't care. I am riding a wave of caffinated euphoria and I am not about to over think this. Time for another cup. Oh crap! I AM OUT OF CREAM!

Camping on Cape Cod

The kids and I are getting ready for a five day camping trip to Cape Cod. Strewn about my apartment are fishing poles, duffel bags, sleeping bags, a camp stove, two tents, and my infamous camping box. Inside the camping box are plates, pots, a frying pan, toilet paper, a sponge, matches, flashlights, and a cyanide capsule should I decide to end things mid-trip.

Yesterday I made the mistake of taking Aidan and Fiona grocery shopping for the trip. I do not know how this happened but someone they won control over the grocery agenda. While we have plenty of marshmallows, hot chocolate, ingredients for smores, and for some reason, three boxes of pop tarts, I have no idea what we are going to have during meal time. Maybe the four of us will have to live on smores and pop tarts.

This trip was originally going to take us to Montreal. I had hoped we would be able to do some camping and enjoy a cosmopolitan city as well. But, as with many people this summer, economic reality compelled me to scale back our vacation to more modest proportions. So a camping trip to Cape Cod it is. Besides, it will be nice not having to spend nine hours in a car with my daughter asking me "are we almost there yet?" Instead, I will spend an hour in the car with my daughter asking me "are we almost there yet?"

Dad has a new gig. I am the Mortgage Industry Examiner for the Boston Examiner. Check me out at http://www.examiner.com/x-18108-Boston-Mortgage-Industry-Examiner Tell your friends. Read often.

The Beach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd_nopTFuZA

Ahhhhhh....the beach. I love the beach. The smell of the salt air, hot sand underfoot, and the sound of the ocean rolling ashore has always been a source of renewal for me. Unfortunately, until a few weeks ago, due to circumstance and some really crappy weather, I have had not had much opportunity to go to the beach this summer. But now I go as often as I can.

My first trip was about three weeks ago. The day had been difficult and fraught and the previous 12 hours had beaten the crap out of me. However, as I sat on the beach, the warm sun on my shoulders, winter had finally lost its grip on me and I felt like a new man (that I was next to a very hot woman also helped as well). Since then I have returned as often as possible.

Yesterday, I took Aidan and Fiona to the beach. This visit was as crazed as my first visit was peaceful. We have a rule when we go to the beach; Take as little as possible. Which means for us, one towel each, small cooler for snacks and drinks, one blanket, one frisbee, and that's it. I am amazed at people who pack for the beach as though they were going to climb Everest. I saw more than one parent, burdened with bags and backpacks and coolers, lugging wagons behind them with their little kids trailing behind. I thought of a great business I could start...beach Sherpa. When you arrive at the beach you could hire your own beach Sherpa who would carry your stuff to and from your car. Hell...with the way the mortgage business is going I just might take a stab at this myself.

So like many other simple pleasures, we over complicate going to the beach. We have taken the perfect combination of sand, sun, and salt water, and imposed upon it the logistical demands of a Himalayan mountain expedition. When all you really need is a towel, a bottle of water, and two great kids (or one really hot woman).


Dad has a new gig. I am the Mortgage Industry Examiner for the Boston Examiner. Check me out at http://www.examiner.com/x-18108-Boston-Mortgage-Industry-Examiner Tell your friends. Read often.

My Dad

My brother, one of my sisters, and our families gathered today to celebrate my father's 77th birthday today. Whilst he has some health issues I hope I am as active as my dad is when I am 77. He still fishes everyday, he has an extensive garden, and he raises fruit trees. While I wonder if he is happy I do think he is satisfied in his retirement.

As I watched my Dad talk to his grandchildren and to my brother and sister I found myself imagining what my Dad's life was like when we as my age at 42. The sole provider of a family of five, my Dad enjoyed only a modest income. He lived frugally, he made due with what he had, and if what he had broke, he figured out a way to fix it. My Dad, as my former boss would say, knew how to get the sh*t out of buffalo nickel.

Now that I face all of the same issues I imagined that my Dad had to handle, I better understand some of the reasons why he acted towards us the way he did. The pressure of hanging on to a job, making ends meet, and providing for a family is enormous. Add cardiac trouble to the mix, my Dad must have been under a tremendous amount of pressure to ensure that we were provided for. While I do not think he dealt with that pressure in the best way, I am now able to see that he handled things as best he could.

While my Dad and I do not enjoy a close relationship I do admire him for what he has accomplished. I do however, wish I were closer to him. We both have sharp edges to our personalities and those edges often grind against each other. He is not shy about sharing his opinion about some of the choices I made in my life. But I learned a long time ago that I need to be my own man...a lesson I learned from my Dad.

At The Tilt'n Diner

I love diners. I like the shine of a diner's stainless steel components. I like the retro feel. I like that the waitresses call you "hun."

And I love the Tilt'n Diner.

I met a client at the Tilt'n Diner last night. Located in Tilton in central New Hampshire, about 30 minutes north of Concord, the Tilt'n offers a wide range of diner fare. Its always good and its always reasonably priced.

So I drove 2 hours to Tilton to meet a client. I had been courting her for months and last night we met to discuss disclosures. A divorced mom, she and I had much in common. I found that we talked more about life after divorce than we did about mortgages. We chatted for about an hour, she signed the disclosures, and she then left for home. I remained to have dinner.

As I sat in my booth I could not help but think of the last time I ate at the Tilton Diner. It was three years ago this summer. After having just moved out of the house I had taken my kids on a vacation to New Hampshire. They were still very uncertain about what their lives would look like after I moved out and their mom had moved back into the house. I wanted to assure them that things were going to work out ok.

For myself, I remember feeling anxious about having to support two households and about creating a new home for myself and my kids. As I drove home last night I thought about my kids and how they have fared the last several years. I am thankful that after some very turbulent times that their lives are settled, they have a routine, they seem to be as comfortable with their mother as they do with me, and that they are certain that their Dad will always be there for them.

I was also thankful I ordered the homefries. They were almost as good as mine.