Cape Cod, Massachusetts …..and Martha’s Vineyard

It’s been a while since my last posting and I apologize for the delay. I have been having a great deal of trouble with my WiFi connection – partially because of our locations but also because of the weather, namely Henri!!

So, a few mornings back, we left Cape Cod, Massachusetts after enjoying the area for a week. We did quite a bit while here, including a ferry trip to Martha’s Vineyard, a day at the beach, some shopping and antiquing, a trip to Provincetown, a whale watching trip, a few good meals and several stops at the numerous ice cream shops.

Our first day, Howie and I spent the day at Skaket Beach. This was such a cool beach – you could walk out for at least 1/2 mile past sand dune after sand dune during low tide. The water was cool and so clear. The temp was in the high 70’s and there was a breeze. When we weren’t in the water, or resting on the beach, we were looking for sea glass. We were lucky enough to find a few pieces! When the tide came back in, it came in fast. The beach was a flurry of activity as everyone kept moving back to avoid getting wet! It was a beautiful day and it made a lasting memory!

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The next day, we decided a trip to Martha’s Vineyard was a must….so we took the 55 minute passenger ferry ride on the Island Queen to Oak Bluffs where we spent the day walking along the streets, browsing through a few shops and enjoying lunch. The ride over was windy but quite smooth. I think my favorite was the “Gingerbread Cottages” – I’m not sure how many were there, but a lot….one as cute and quaint as the next.

From there, we stopped at Fat Ronnie’s for a burger, for which they are famous. They’ve been dishing out the food for five generations.

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Of course, we had to stop at the Flying Horses – the country’s oldest merry-go-round, delighting all ages since 1884! If I’m totally honest, I was a bit disappointed. First, the carousel was indoors and secondly, the horses were stationary. Still, it was impressive to see.

While waiting for the ferry to take us back to the Cape, I just had to grab a chance to find some sea glass on the Vineyard. I was lucky – I found two really nice pieces. My souvenir!

Howie and I drove an hour or so to Provincetown to explore the town and Race Point Beach (Yep, I found two more pieces of sea glass….slow but sure!) This was actually an ideal beach as it was pebbly among the sand. Provincetown is where there is a 252 foot, all granite monument, built from 1907-1910, memorializing the Pilgrim’s landing prior to moving on to Plymouth. And again……so many really cute homes!

On Thursday, we hopped aboard “The Whale Watcher” a large high powered boat with 5 jet engines.

We were taken out past the Cape Bay and were treated to seeing a fin back whale which is the 2nd largest whale, after the blue whale. Interesting fact: the fin back’s right lower jaw is always white and the left is always black. When chasing fish, they swim on the left side so they are not as visible to the fish they are trying to catch! It is not often that a fin back is spotted on these tours.

This one was estimated to be 65 feet long – about the length of 2 school buses, end to end.

There was a flurry of activity around a trio of humpback whales which turned out to be a pod of white belly dolphin, frolicking and jumping out of the water. Apparently, the dolphin enjoy hanging with the whale because the fish are stirred up in the whale’s presence. (note the dolphin in the below video.) We saw what we went to see, but just before heading back, it began to rain….it was good to get home to climb into some dry clothes again.

The architecture here is just as you might expect. Most homes are of typical Cape Cod structure….salt box, federal style or the standard Cape Cod. Many are covered by shake shingles and I can’t begin to tell you of the beautiful flowers, especially the hydrangeas. The soil here must be ideal for these gorgeous flowers as most grow to the size of a human head!! Look for yourself! Then there are the churches with their steeples – each one with their own personality. Of course, everywhere are the quintessential New England buildings and scenes – all so beautiful and interesting! (BTW – “Thickly Settled” is a term used as far back as the 1830’s, to describe an area with a lot of structures – these unique signs were all over Cape Cod.)

Friday, Marj and I went to an art and craft fair, then to a few more antique stores. Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and move on out again. Wow, that week went too fast!

Next stop….North Hampton, New Hampshire. At this time, we were still ahead of Henri’s trail, although it appeared that we would be directly in its path around Monday. We were happy when he passed us by and we breathed a little easier again as we had minimal impact – just two rainy days!

Happy trails to you all and stay safe!