Day One of Cape Cod Viewing

Our first night visiting Cape Cod we had a great meal at a local restaurant to celebrate Bill's birthday. He just loves that stuff. The next morning we first went to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. We spent a lot of time checking all of the exhibits and watching the osprey that the museum takes particular pride in. Check out the museum link above and then click on the Osprey cam to see how the pair are coming along. The viewing area was some distance away. Even with my telephoto it was hard to get a crisp view. Here is a collage of female sitting and the male flying in to the nest.

Then we headed off to Hyannis where we visited the John F. Kennedy Memorial, drove around and about so we could see the Kennedy Compound and then we stopped at the JFK Museum. Since it was getting late in the afternoon we did not go into the museum but walked around the area and viewed the statue of JFK there. The statue is lovely and an excellent representation of him and his love of the area. I can see why he and his family spent so much time there.

We stopped at a Hyannis shopping center and went to the Christmas Tree Store where we enjoyed a few bargains (placemats, sprinkler, tablecloth, etc.). And, then it was on to Trader Joe's. This was the first visit to TJ's since we left Tacoma. They are such fun stores to shop.

It was then time to head back to Orleans for a lovely dinner, conversation and a beautiful sunset on the bay.

Bill's Birthday = Some Time Away

Bill's birthday was last week and to celebrate we took a few days and headed northeast to Cape Cod. There we spent a wonderful time with our dear friends Robin and Dave at their home in Orleans.

Those who know me only a little know that I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON so I rarely catch a sunrise. I caught a lovely one on this trip. We started out early in the morning and saw lovely sights of Spring as well as mist still hanging on the ponds as in the above photo. For mile upon mile from here to about Smyrna we caught the sun as it peeked through the trees before it was shining brightly the rest of the day.

The sun shined on bridges, water and land. Trees were greening all along the way. Daffodils were everywhere and tulips were starting. Besides being a beautiful day, the traffic on the turnpikes and highways was not horrendous. All of this made for a very pleasant arrival at Cape Cod Bay.

A Break in the Action

Last weekend we were delighted to have Erica and Geoff's friends John, Alexandra and Katrina visit for the weekend. It was their first trip to "our neck of the woods" so, of course, the beach was on the agenda. It was chilly and a bit windy but nice. We also went to the Goshen UM Chicken-'n-Dumpling Dinner and mostly just sat back and enjoyed the the quiet.

We went to Cape Henolopen State Park. I like the beach better there than almost anywhere we have found in this area. Here are some photos taken of our beach excursion.

Katrina was not so sure about the whole thing. This was her first trip to the ocean and with the roar of waves and the biting wind she needed momentary reassurance from Mom.

Bill and Bentley strolling along the water's edge.

Heading toward the boardwalk.

Alexandra enjoying some sun and taking pictures.

Kiki pointing at the waves.

This is better now.

Part of the boardwalk blocked off.

Alexandra and Katrina enjoying a big hug.

John gathering it all in.

Beach from the boardwalk.

More beach from the boardwalk.

Kiki, with Dad's help, taking Mom's picture.

Cherry Blossoms (The Epic Part III)

Today I have posted some photos of the second quarter of our visit to Tidal Basin and the Cherry Blossoms. As we proceeded down and around the basin we were struck by the changing light and how the monuments changed so dramatically in the different lights. We were always pausing and looking across or looking back. It was in this section of our visit that we entered the FDR Memorial. We went through starting at the end of the monument but we had visited before and the impact was still strong. This visit was different still because our last visit was in the winter when the fountains are not operating. Today's picture cover his fourth term in office. The granite, the rain drops, the words, the figures, the blossoms all made this a very meaningful visit for us.

Cherry Blossoms (The Epic Part II)

Life sort of got in the way of my looking through all of the pictures I took the day we visited the Tidal Basin and the Cherry Blossoms, but I have and have chosen the first of the large group to post. This year we walked quite a bit more than last. The benefits of a cool day day for my weary legs. The photos below were taken on the first quarter of a lovely misty day.