Tourists

A few Friday nights ago we were invited to a colleague's home for the first cook out of the season. (At least for us.)

Hamburgers and hot dogs are a real treat in late June and early July. But, by August an invitation to "stop by and we'll throw some burgers on the grille" doesn't generate quite the same anticipation.

Almost everyone in the group that night was somehow connected to the real estate business, either as a long time and successful practitioner or a family member.

As the fireflies appeared, the conversation turned philosophical.

Sandy footprints

There were many threads, but one that I found myself in the midst of was how, as real estate agents, we're supposed to promote to our clients the virtues of living on Cape Cod. The weather; the beaches; the sunrises and sunsets; the restaurants; the history, the summer theatre.

But, like a lot of people who work full time and live on Cape, we're so busy with the day-to-day that we ourselves don't enjoy living here as much as we should. How can we effectively talk about the quality of life on the Cape, the conversation went, if we don't partake of it?

With the exception of restaurants. If you want a review of a particular spot, ask a realtor.  Chances are we've eaten there. Or know a colleague who just did.

I include myself in the "we" very loosely. I've had my real estate license a relatively short time compared to the folks who were sitting around the table that night. I'm working for my wife this summer, but in September will be returning full time to the college classroom and back to primarily weekend open houses and managing our social media/marketing efforts.

But I do know from Mari's 19 years in the business that the job follows you. When our daughter was young, we tried stay-cations. Why drive a few hundred miles and rent a place when you live 10 minutes from a beach that thousands flock to on their vacations? But when an issue would come up at the office, the temptation to run in for "just a few minutes" was sometimes too strong.

I've been commuting off Cape for 24 years to jobs near and far. Mostly far. I spent many years working for utility companies as their media contact. Outages would demand my attention no matter the hour or the day or whether I was on vacation or not.

We finally abandoned stay-cations and began going on cruises.

Over the years, many of my colleagues would assume that my day-to-day life was pretty much like their vacations and seemed genuinely disappointed to learn that my weekend schedule was pretty much the same as theirs...errands, church, taking my daughter and now my granddaughter to practices, etc., etc. The beach, for example, was very rarely at the top of my to do list.

I did succeed for a year or so going to the beach with Mariana on Saturday mornings after a stop at Dunkin' Donuts. But now that she's older, beach time has been replaced with cheerleading practice. We still stop at Dunks, though. Some habits you can't quit.

That conversation a few Fridays ago ended with some vague commitments about getting the group together in the coming weeks for supper on the beach and sunset watching.

A Cape Cod sunset

But it got me thinking about the thrill I used to feel coming on Cape to vacation with my parents and later with my own family. The salt air; the ice cream shops;  the dewy sunrises and often breath taking sunsets.

It made me long to be just a tourist again.