Here on Cape Cod for an early June vacation. What an ideal time to come to this glorious destination in Massachusetts. This is our third time staying at a friend’s vacation house in Chatham, and it is a wonderful mix of things new with many things familiar. It is late enough to be warm for swimming but early enough in the summer to get greatly discounted rates (as most families are still finishing the school year). So the stores and beaches are open but no one charges for parking until next week and the crowds have not yet started choking the streets.

Even on a rainy day like our first day here, we are able to revive a great tradition. Bringing all four bikes from home, papa and the three youngest take a well known rail trail to a mom and pop ice cream shop called Short n’ Sweet. Biking on the Cape can get a little sketchy on some of the busier roads, but once you arrive on one of these old converted railroad lines, it is smooth going since the land is mostly flat. We arrive 20 minutes before it opens at noon, but my teens are content to luxuriate in the ample back yard that directly abuts the trail. The owner opens promptly and we choose from close to 50 different varieties of ice cream.

The shop is housed in a historic two room Chatham schoolhouse. Old fashioned desks serve now as tables and a free jukebox plays old 45 vinyl records with songs from decades long ago. My children are amazed at the industry of the family who owns this business and make connections to their own start up endeavors at a lemonade stand where we live. Now in its 35th season, Short and Sweet is more than a place to rest from biking; it is for us a nostalgic oasis of memory.

May God grant many years to such local and vibrant institutions in our communities. The Holy Spirit has descended to mankind through the Day of Pentecost!