the many faces of the sea

The beach grasses take on a lovely hue in autumn.

A glimpse over an old cedar fence provides a hint as to what lies beyond it.

A beachcomber's paradise ~ what treasures will the tide churn up this time?

the simple life

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci

there's no place like home

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
~ Henry David Thoreau ~

and when it rains...

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

(of course, you can always hide your head in your feathers!)

share and share alike

We are not the only ones who enjoy a seaside stroll.

The ocean tides are constant, erasing the footsteps of its travelers so new visitors can make their mark.

Man and beast sharing the same sand.

our place on earth

Olde Cape Cod.

Quiet Cape Cod.

But if you sit still and just contemplate the salty sand, it could be any beach in the world. We all share the same planet, which is but a small part of the universe.

Thank you, Blogger

Our belated gratitude to Blogger for naming us "Blog of Note" last week. We appreciate the honor.

Most unfortunately, the quality of negative feedback far outweighed the quantity of positive feedback we received. We enjoyed using this space to share our photos of Cape Cod with others. We may do so here once again, but comments will remain turned off. We don't want the negativity of others to prevent our self-expression on Blogger. Thank you for your understanding.

closing down

sorry for the inconvenience; this blog is closing down

Sights of Autumn

We've had some rainy, windy weather as of late, and most of the foliage has vanished. Only the berries remain (which the birds will soon devour)!

This is what remains of a "burning bush".

The bright green leaves and vivid pink roses have melted into crimson.

The ocean's blue appears to deepen with the drop in temperature. The eiders have returned to Cape Cod, and they fly together, skimming the ocean like a gray carpet. But they are FAST! I hope to drive to a beach someday with camera in hand and take their photo.

Not being a native to Cape Cod, I am called a "washashore". I suppose all my European grandparents were once "washashores" as well. I'm fond of Mary Engelbreit's phrase, "Bloom where you are planted." If I find myself moving once again, I'll pick up my roots and bloom somewhere else. =)

peacefulness even on a cloudy day

As a child (long before I moved to Cape Cod), I remember how excited I was at the prospect of having a family outing at the beach. Cape Cod seemed so far away from the bustling little city of a suburb I lived in. Our schools were overcrowded; our playgrounds not very safe; we had a bustling, noisy train depot that took people from neighboring towns to travel to their jobs in Boston; the CONSTANT sound of sirens (even at night!)...

And when you'd wake up to find that CLOUDS filled the sky on the day of your Cape Cod trip, how bummed out you'd become, thinking that your day was ruined.

I took a look at this seagull yesterday (if you enlarge the photo, you'll see he caught himself a crab)! He has no idea he's swimming on Cape Cod. He could be in a city, catching french fries being tossed by children at the local McDonald's, and he'd be content just to have his tiny, immediate needs taken care of.

So gray skies or not, I learned you really have to be grateful for each and every little positive tidbit in life. You can't touch tomorrow, so you really need to be at peace with yourself today. Have a lovely weekend!

Autumn Reds & Blues

The lush roses and greenery at the beach have taken on their autumnal hues. And the ocean seems to become bluer as the temperatures drop.

And this is all that's left of the bright pink beach roses... beet-red rose hips!

More beach pics later this week...

something special about this time of the year...

The scenery around Cape Cod is especially spectacular this time of the year!

Even though I visited the Cape as a tourist during my childhood, I don't think I ever witnessed its beaches in autumn or winter until I actually moved here.

It's a perfect place to quietly sit and have a cup of tea or coffee, and to read or daydream (or in my instance, take photos)!

I'm going to soak it up as long as I can, because being here really was my dream as a young child (and because I often forget that dream, and I take this scenery for granted). Don't ever let go of your dreams ~ you have them for a reason!

Calling All Moms - My Little Shopping Secret

I'll let a cat out of the bag...

Here's my little online shopping secret...

Do you LOVE quality European toys (but you're not planning a trip to Europe before the holidays)?

Have a child between the ages of newborn and nine years to buy for?

Try MOOLKA ! You'll get lost in there for hours! Search by age... search by brand... search by category...

Click here to find this cute Cherry Blossom Jewelry Case from Haba.

Or click here to find these sweet theatre pirates from Kathe Kruse!

I did some shopping here for the holidays last year, and guess where I'll be hanging out again this weekend?

Sky Watch Friday - Before & After the Storm

Before.

After.

Happy Sky Watch Friday!

History Books

My daughter's class and I went to the Wampanoag Homesite at Plimoth Plantation last week. There are no character actors here, as there are at the 1627 English Village. The people here are actual Wampanoags, most of whom live right here on Cape Cod. They truly are carrying on their ancestors' traditions. When one of the children asked if the Wampanoags were "friends with the Pilgrims," we were told by one of the tribe: "We helped the settlers to survive. Did we befriend the them? No. We tolerated them." That comment pretty much made us all speechless. For in fact, here we were, standing on the very same soil where the Native Americans lived, for over 12,000 years! Land that is now partitioned, given a town name, a county name, a state name; land which is industrialized and mostly privately owned, and for which taxes are paid. Attributes the Wampanoags didn't develop. Then it dawned on me... who wrote all of our school history books? Wouldn't it do justice to the indigenous people if we were also given history books in school, written by the people who actually lived here and continue to do so?

I strongly suggest a visit to Plimoth Plantation if you are ever in the area. If not just for the history, it really puts life here in perspective.