The sand. The water. The breeze. That is my happy place. A place where one can relax and not be worried about the overcrowded umbrellas and beach chairs. A place where when you get into the water you’re not crashed down by massive waves. The bay. The bay is my favorite place to be. Specifically the bays in Cape Cod. The Cape, a place where I go and feel completely free. My family and I went there every summer. We stayed in the same hotel on the same beach. Going to Cape Cod was what I looked forward to every year. That’s the place where I went on my first boat ride. That’s the place where I learned to swim. The place where I went on my first banana boat, and soon fell in love with it. I can vividly remember the the volleyball nets and the one, lone swingset that my brothers and I always fought over. We spent hours and hours on that beach. Making sandcastles, swimming, catching jellyfish, and just being kids. I can remember all the streets leading up to my paradise. The small, quaint houses that I dreamed of living in. I dreamed that one day we would move out here and live by the sea. That we would be one of the locals and consider the Cape home.

With all the wonderful things that the Cape gave us, my all time favorite thing to do was go crabbing. All the way to the left of the beach was a small pier which extended into the jetties. This is where we spent most our mornings. We would wake up extra early and head straight to the pier. It was usually pretty empty, with the exception of one or two others. We would cast our little basket into the water and let it sit for a while. The sound of the water hitting the rocks and the light squawks of the seagulls were always so soothing. While we waited, we usually would have a fishing rod or two and try to catch something. It was a real bummer when we reeled the line back in only to find a bunch of seaweed attached. When we would pull up the basket and see a bunch of crabs piled on top of one another it was like we had struck gold. My brothers and I would get so excited and try to put them in the cooler without getting pinched. Of course it didn’t always go our way each time. Band-aids were always a necessity, but we didn’t mind, because it came with the fun of it. These times at the Cape was when our family was really the closest. My brothers and I rarely fought during these times, for everyday always brought something new to experience. We would travel up and down the coast exploring new towns and meeting new people.

The Cape is a place that is very near and dear to my heart. I feel like I’ve done a lot of growing up there. It’s the first place that comes to mind whenever my family asks where should we vacation next. It’s a place that makes me think of serenity and peacefulness. I guess you could say it’s my happy place. Even though it is not the most extravagant place to vacation, like Miami or LA, the calmness and tranquillity of the Cape is what makes me love it so much. Although I have not been back to the Cape in several years, the memories I have made there is something that I will never forget, as they are component of who I am today and forever.