Since it’s a holiday week for lots of people in the U.S., I’m taking a quick break from New Zealand posts to bask in summer memories. Check out yesterday’s post about New York City here.

If there is one place in the world that I associate with summer, it’s Cape Cod.

Aside from a handful of trips, our family didn’t visit the Cape very often during my childhood. But now it’s our go-to spot for summer vacations and I couldn’t be happier about it. Below I’ve compiled my favorite images from August 2011 and July 2012. Fair warning: lots of sappy family images ahead!

Here’s my dad, mom, and me on beaches around the Cape:

Yup… I spell out our last name in the sand with rocks and then we pose for photos. Cheesy but fun.

My parents are such good sports — they even pose when I call out, “Throw your arms up!” as I snap the silhouette shot below on the right.

After the beach, my favorite part of summer on Cape Cod is the FOOD. This surprises no one.

Luckily my parents excel at food prep — my dad is a wizard on the grill and my mom regularly whips up tasty and healthy meals using fresh ingredients from her garden.

Also, say hello to Bijou. I trust you can figure out which one she is below left. And my dad is grilling garlic mushrooms below right.

And now he’s grilling eggplant, mozzarella, and tomatoes, all prepped by my Momma.

Next up: cedar plank salmon.

My mom makes this “healthy” dessert. The ice cream kinda compromises the healthy quotient but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Grilled burgers and franks on the left, and fresh tuna salad on the right below… with blue Gatorade.

Grilled romaine salad… SO GOOD.

I call this next image “balance.”

We love to visit Schoolhouse Ice Cream and pick up our favorite flavors (rum raisin for my parents, toasted almond for me).

My mom picks herbs from her garden.

She uses fresh mint, orange juice, and lemon / lime juice to pour over this melon salad. It’s so refreshing… especially with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream.

We also enjoy meals out — here we are eating FRIED LOBSTER, invented by the seafood gods of Massachusetts.

Did you get enough of my monster-sized shades? No…? Here’s another shot.

And one more family beach shot:

My parents are also into bike riding. Last summer we rode down to Arnold’s Lobster & Clam Bar in Eastham. Here’s a video I put together. I broke my big toe getting this footage… the things I do for my blog!

Lobster rolls. Heaven.

Mermaids on Main is one of our favorite retail stores in Chatham (we especially love to visit just after Christmas when their inventory is typically 50% off).

And while in Chatham we often stop at the waterfront to watch the boats.

Here we are all dolled up for dinner at the Old Jailhouse Tavern, another local favorite.

And every summer I beat my dad in Scrabble.

(Okay, MAYBE he sometimes wins, every once in a blue moon, but I won’t admit it on my blog.)

I’ll include a few other family shots from that summer — these were taken in Connecticut just prior to my time at the Cape. That’s my nearly 95-year-old grandma Trudie in the middle, and my sister Beth is on the far right.

And here’s my beautiful cousin El with our grandma:

The girls:

That wraps up my summer memories from the Cape (and CT). Here’s a shot I snapped out the window of the plane as I flew out of Boston en route to Los Angeles:

Since I won’t get to Cape Cod this summer, these photos will have to sustain me until July 2014. If you find yourself on the Cape, please eat some lobster for me!