Home Again

Robert Frost once said that it would be good both going and coming back. This is a little different. Vacation, not birch trees, but I think maybe it's more or less the same. We had nice bookends weather to our vacation. When we left Eastham for Boston, it was 45 degrees, the wind was howling and it was pouring rain. Here are some pics at departure time from in and around the house.

We stopped in Falmouth to have lunch with Uncle Chris at the Quarterdeck (the unofficial headquarters of the Falmouth Track Club) and grab some java at Coffee Obsession. In one of my earlier posts, I indicated that if you don't like the Cape weather, just wait a few minutes. In yesterday's case it was an hour and 15 minutes. By the time we got to Falmouth, the skies were beautiful.

We were very blessed this trip. We got to see family and friends and spend time in God's wonderful creation. "A man can stand there and put all America behind him" (Thoreau - "Cape Cod").

Cape Cod #6

Well, it's our last full day on Cape. Sort of sad to see the week coming to an end, but we've been very blessed this week. We found out that Judy from Ben&Jerry's knows Wayne from Cape Cod Chips. How cool is that?


This morning we hiked the trails around the Fort Hill area. For history buffs, Fort Hill is the home of Capt Edward Penniman, a whaling captain from the late 19th century. The bluff at the tip of Fort Hill is also the final resting place of the Outermost House, the one-time abode of naturalist Henry Beston. Beston built his house on the Nauset spit below the Coast Guard station in the 1920's and it stood until the Blizzard of '78 washed it to the south side of Nauset Marsh.











After lunch we did some shopping and began the cleaning and packing process. Made some chili for dinner and did B&J one more time. We drove down to Nauset Light Beach at dusk. I do love this place. Let's Go Red Sox!!

Cape Cod #5

Does anyone know where the best potato chips in the world are made? Yep, you guessed it! Breed's Hill Road in Hyannis, Massachusetts, home of the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory. We got hooked on these chips years ago on our first visit to the Cape. Being very health conscious parents, we figured that these chips were among the healthiest junk food snacks around. You can look it up! Go ahead, grab a bag off the shelf and read the list of ingredients: potatoes, oil and salt. It just doesn't get any better!!

A few years ago we made a friend in Customer Service. We look forward to seeing Wayne every time we come to Cape Cod, and have a little photographic tradition. Thanks to the web, we can now share it with everyone. Even better yet, Wayne is a runner! He told us today that this year will be his third consecutive Falmouth Road Race. That's awesome!

After lunch we made a little historical trip to the Bridge Road Cemetery, then hopped over to the Cape Cod National Seashore's Salt Pond Visitor Center. We hiked a little and visited with the park rangers, gathering information for future excursions.

Dinner was at the Bookstore in Wellfleet, complete with seafood harvested this morning from Wellfleet Harbor. The fish just can't get any fresher than that! Dessert was, what else could it be, Ben&Jerry's!! We got ice cream and hugs from Judy. Can you feel the love?

Special message to JDW tonight: The love of God is perpetual. Thankfully, the pain is intermittent. Our prayers for your family. We love you.

Cape Cod #4

The Earth belongs to God. Everything in all the world is His. Psalm 24:1

And what a world it is!! There are certain trails within the Cape Cod National Seashore that are unpublished in park literature. Designated parking areas are provided, and it's perfectly legal to hike these trails, you just need to ask the park rangers for details. Yesterday we found one such trail on Bound Brook Island Road in Wellfleet. Today we decided to hike one of Ashleigh's favorites, the Race Point Lighthouse.

We "discovered" this trail seven years ago while visiting with a park ranger. On September 11, 2001, we were there, on the tip of Cape Cod, as far out as one can walk, while buildings, hopes and dreams collapsed in New York City. I can still remember, the sky was so clear that morning that we could see all the way to Boston.

Parking the car in a sandlot on Race Point Road, we walked up the fire road to the dike that crosses Hatches Harbor. When we reached the tidal flats, we found the tide was headed out, which made the remaining mile much easier. After reaching the lighthouse, we made our way down the the beach to rest and have some snacks.

This particular hike is relatively difficult due to its length (about 4 miles round trip) and terrain (hard packed roads, soft sand, tidal flats, dunes). However, the views at the destination are worth the effort. Pictures can't do justice to the miles of dunes and isolated beach.

Cape Cod #3

Boy, are we glad the weatherman missed this one!! We had the wind that was promised, but rain never came. In fact, it was sunny almost all day today.













After breakfast we went hiking on a trail that's not published on any of the National Seashore maps. Just north of Wellfleet, off Pamet Point Road, sits the Atwood-Higgins House. We parked at the entrance and made our way for about a mile through the woods until we came to the dunes. Just over the dunes we found ourselves enjoying miles of isolated beach. Every now and then, you find the best things hidden in out of the way places. We owe a debt of thanks for this one to Yankee magazine and author Jennifer Kain Defoe, whose husband worked for the trails division of the Cape Cod National Seashore. We also would like to thank whoever invented the self-timing digital camera!


We spent the afternoon lounging on the bay side beach. It was low tide, so I walked out to the water line and snapped a couple of pictures. I was so focused on the pictures, however, I soon found myself overtaken by the incoming tide. Man, that water is cold!!





























Tonight the sunset was really special. We were able to see the sun all the way down over the horizon. No matter how many times we stand there, it always amazes me. The colors were fantastic.

And now, the secret is out... the real reason we come to the Cape. Ben&Jerry's has awesome ice cream, but in all the franchise footprint there is no store quite like the one in North Eastham. Owner Judy Tarr is special to us, and tonight was the first night that we've been able to catch up with her. We'll be seeing her at least once more before we head home. It's really nice to sit and visit over various and sundry forms of frozen dairy treats.

God has really blessed us this trip. Rest, relaxation, good food, family, friends, worship, all kinds of interesting weather, we have tons to be thankful for.

Cape Cod Post #2

Well, they say that if you don't like the weather on the Cape, wait a few minutes. Today we found out the truth. We got the cold temperatures and the strong winds, but not a drop of rain. Hey, we'll take that. We just bundled up (wind chills in the upper 30's) and off we went.

This trip, we've decided to find explore some places we've not previously visited. Yesterday it was the Nickerson Property along Great Pond. Today we found a real gem. The Cove Burial Ground is the final resting place of three Mayflower passengers: Constance Hopkins Snow, Giles Hopkins and Joseph Rogers. All were quite young when the Mayflower sailed from England, and were part of the seven families who left Plymouth Colony in 1644 to settle what is now Eastham, MA.

Next we headed over to Jessica's favorite beach, Coast Guard Beach, on the ocean side of Eastham. The old Coast Guard station (pictured at top) is beautiful, and today, because of the weather, the beach was totally deserted. The picture at left is looking north, the picture at right is the view south toward Nauset Spit.

After lunch, we went to Nauset Light Beach, home of the Nauset Lighthouse. The lighthouse was moved back from the cliff about 10 years ago, and a post marks what once was the center of the light tower at its original location. As you can see, it won't be long before erosion will overtake it.

Later in the day, the wind calmed a bit and Jessica worked on a sand castle. After dinner we hit Ben&Jerry's (again) and called it a day. Hopefully the weather will continue to hold!!

On Cape

We have arrived!! Vacation at last!! It's Sunday night, and we've finally settled in at the house in North Eastham, MA. We flew into Boston Friday morning and drove down to the Cape to spend some time with Uncle Chris and Aunt Pam. The picture at left was taken in their kitchen. Hickory Hill is a most hospitable abode, full of all things yummy, including fish chowder and raspberry waffles. We had lunch with Chris at The Landfall in Woods Hole (dessert was, what else, Coffee Obsession). The went back to Chris' office at the USGS, where we got a first hand look at their latest outreach/education activities. Pam made us dinner Friday night and then we all drove into Falmouth for a cultural treat.



Arts abound on Cape, and Chris is a proud member of the Greater Falmouth Mostly All-Male Men's Chorus. The GFMaMMC is presenting a concert this weekend, and we got to see the dress rehearsal at the Wesley United Methodist Church. Our Falmouth Track Club friend, Doris Beatty, is also a member of the group. We stayed for the first hour or so, and then headed out for some ice cream.



Saturday was brisk and rainy. Temperatures in the 50's with rain and wind. After a breakfast of waffles with fresh raspberries, we headed down to Nobska Point to sit by the lighthouse. There's also nothing like a little shopping around Main Street in Falmouth. About noon we headed down Cape and got moved into the house. Grocery shopping, takeout pizza, Ben&Jerry's and a visit to Nauset light at dusk rounded out the day.





Sunday morning dawns chilly, but clear. The weather was spectacular all day. We went to Sunday services at Nauset Baptist Church to worship the Lord and renew friendships there. After lunch we bundled up and headed across the street to the bayside beach (pictured at left). In the late afternoon we hiked around Great Pond, grabbed some dinner at hit Ben&Jerry's again.








It's getting late now, but I'll try to post a couple more times this week. We're supposed to get a good nor'easter tomorrow and Tuesday, then clear skies again later in the week. I think I hear the Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory calling....