I'm in Florida with my brother and sister-in-law helping my parents pack up their belongings. My parents are moving back to Cape Cod. My sister is staying in Florida but moving to the next town over. My parents are both in their 80's and miss their kids, grandchildren and friends, and want to move back to the place they love best. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. My parents have loved the Cape since as far back as I can remember. When my sisters and I were very young and living in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, my parents decided to check out a place they had been doing some research on. They were looking for the perfect place for my father to write "the great American novel." So, in the middle of winter, they drove to the small man made island of Cape Cod where they stayed in an old haunted Inn called The Orleans Inn. It was here they fell in love with the raw beauty of the Cape with its acres of scrub pine, grassy dunes and endless sandbars. Quiet in winter, bustling with tourists in the summer, the Cape is like nowhere else in the world. It's a haven for writers, artists, and antique dealers, and anyone who loves being close to the water. It was here that we moved.
When I was 14 and about to enter high school, my father moved the whole family to New Jersey, where he opened up a book store. That lasted about 10 months. We were all homesick for the Cape and moved back. Luckily for us, my parents hadn't sold our house but instead had rented it out to friends. We stayed in the extra rooms in the barn for the summer. Then, about five years later, my parents moved to Ithaca, NY where they opened up an antique and book shop. Surprise. Surprise. My dad went to Cornell University and loved the college town. I was at Elmira College at the time so it was nice to have my family so close. They stayed in Ithaca about two years before, you guessed it, moving back to 'ole Cape Cod. They rented a house in S. Orleans while in the process of building a passive solar house in Brewster. My parents lived in that house for about 15 years and then went on to rent several condos. Four and a half years ago, my sister, Cindy, decided she wanted to move to Florida and take my parents with her. She convinced them to go with her and they liked it. I mean, like my dad says, what's not to like? It's warm and close to the beach. Well, it didn't take long for them to start thinking about the Cape and missing its beauty and everyone there. So, here we are, getting them ready to move back to the place they call home. And I am very happy about that.
