You ever had Cape Cod chips in Cape Cod?

Fourth of July Weekend.

It's the All-American holiday: celebrating our nation's birth and independence, sporting your red, white, and blue, eating All-American fare like hot dogs, hamburgers, potato chips, and cupcakes, and having a few cold ones while you catch some rays by the water. Of course, I take part in each and every one of these aforementioned activities on the Fourth of July, and I've always done so in my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. 

This means I celebrate our nation's independence at the Whitland Parade, waving at the kids riding by on their bikes and scooters decorated with streamers, and singing along with the Nashville Symphony as they play some of America's greatest patriotic anthems. I eat my annual grilled hot dog with ketchup, mustard, and glee, and grab a diet coke from one of the iced down canoes that are filled with sodas and perched on every street corner. Then it's off to the pool where I go diving for some not-so-cold bevvies in the water, watch the kids scramble for airheads and ringpops in the water, and finally search in vain for a lawn chair so I can get my glaze on and have a 4th of July glow for the party later that evening. We watch fireworks from Love Circle, a spot just up the street from my house where you can get the best view of the Nashville "skyline" and see fireworks going off all around the city. Shortly after, the partying ensues, and then before we know it 4th of July is history.

In the spirit of my theme for the year--doing things differently, making changes, and not just sticking to the same ole, same ole--I ventured to places unknown for the holiday of the summer. Jac's family has a house in Cape Cod, so it was there that I celebrated both our Nation's and Jac's brother Nick's birthdays with his family and a few of our friends...well 10 of them.

There were 13 of us staying at the Connolly's when you include the three girls, Grace, Fran, and Mrs., meaning that Mrs. Conn was providing food for 13 people. For each meal. For three days. And she treated us right. We had appetizers every night before dinner, including chips and salsa, pretzels with mustard sauce, hummus and home-baked pita chips, and my favorite, crackers with pesto-drizzled cheese and cherry tomatoes. At dinner, we ate a variety of grilled proteins such as hamburgers, chicken breasts, italian sausages, and steak. Meals were accompanied with umpteen hundred sides: Cape Cod potato chips ("Have you ever eaten Cape Cod chips in Cape Cod, Mad?" Jac said to me every time); four-cheese macaroni with fontina, bleu, ricotta, and goat cheeses; potatoes roasted with garlic and onion; fresh baked garlic and herb bread; and a variety of delicious mixed salads with nuts, veggies, and avocado--as my mom always says, a salad always tastes so much better when someone else invents it. This was not Mrs. Connolly's first rodeo; in the past the boys have had upwards of 20 friends up to the cape for the 4th, so this year seemed like a "small group."

 

On our last night we celebrated the two births with an American cake: yellow cake with cream cheese frosting, and raspberries and blueberries made an American flag on top for a festive vibe. We sang Happy Birthday to Nick, then sang the national anthem, and raised our glasses to a very fun weekend. Although we all ended up traveling back to our respective homes on the actual 4th of july holiday, the entire weekend felt like 4th of July; the cape was beautiful, the company was awesome, and the food was delicious!