TWO HUNDRED MILES OF SUMMER
It’s a woman’s world. A statement not intended to provoke any sexist debate. Just the battle cry and theme of our girls trip when we went for a quick jaunt to Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard.
This was roughly a 72-hour road trip. A “try-not-to-blink-or-you-could-miss-it” chronicle. It’s also a tribute if you will, to my mom and four of my aunts. My own version of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
In this über-fast, instant-gratification, five-second-attention-span, socialmedia-infused society we live in, I will try to keep up by posting short vignettes of the lessons I learned as we cruise controlled through the northeast corridors during our trip.
I’ve spent time with these women for as long as I can remember, yet I learned something new as I look at things with the eyes of an adult. During this trip, we immersed ourselves in what seemed to be random conversations, but I realized I took home with me funny anecdotes - like those perplexing one-liners you get from Chinese fortune cookies, except that these anecdotes made sense to me.
Lunch in Boston
Caffeinated and strapped in the third row of my aunt’s SUV, we made the fourhour drive from New York to Boston. I am a self confessed city girl, so any excuse to stop by Boston is a treat! It could be purely psychological, but my palate swears that the clam chowder in Boston is worth the drive. Of course we perused through Quincy Market and
Faneuil Hall searching for a dessert we all could agree on. We decided to sit on the steps outside the market as we enjoyed the sun gently melting our gelato away. Life lesson learned: it doesn’t matter how stuffed you are, your stomach always has crevices for ice cream (or in this case, gelato)!
Existentialism in Camelot
Fast forward to an hour after and we made it to Hyannis, Massachusetts. Very Americana and reminiscent of the Kennedy Camelot years. It’s like stepping into a storybook with a very laid-back pace. I will let the images speak for themselves. I love their quaint downtown and local shops and being able to immerse oneself with the locals and learn new things by being in the moment. As we watched passersby, we had an extended discussion on the proverbial existential question which led me to the next life lesson learned (or more of a spiritual quandary): is your life a result of your own choices or is your existence (and all the good and bad things that come with it) predestined by fate...
Ferry ride to Martha’s Vineyard
We took the ferry to the vineyard with our virtual bibs ready. We were set to conquer that lobster like nobody’s business. Oral gratification aside, we were also very much fascinated with the aesthetic and architectural elements on full display on the island - sometimes overshadowed by the breathtaking coastlines.
As the day was winding down, we tried to gather strength as we were about to have a “woman versus food” episode with the lobster. The women no doubt were victorious! Life lesson learned: in the basic hierarchy of needs, food always has a way of bringing everyone together.
The three days for bonding came and went in a flash.
It’s funny how even as an adult, you will always be your mom’s child and your aunts’ niece and the number of years that have passed by is inconsequential - in their eyes, you might still be that pigtailed five-yearold. It’s bittersweet how time plays tricks on you.
Then just like that, they were sending me off to Penn Station back in New York - all grown up, heading home and ready for the next adventure.
*This piece is dedicated to my women tribe - my mom, aunts (including Lourdes Duterte-Garcia who missed this trip) and my grandmother, the late Adela Ibañez Duterte, the woman who’s pillar of strength continues to be a safe haven and source of refuge for all of us.