A Whale of a Tail

It was a most beautiful and warm day. The sun beat down on our necks as we sat aboard the Viking VIII, a whale watching boat. We were on the upper deck with about 100 people and just as many were below deck. We motored for about an hour out of Cape Cod Bay toward Stellwagen Bank, a national trust area. We were lucky today and saw dozens of humpback whales. Some of them came along the side of the boat. You could see the white fins very clearly. They all sprayed from their spouts and dove to show off their flutes. As the guide said, "you were all a little bit closer to heaven today." My Nikon's battery was dead so the photos were not so clear. This little movie is the best I could do. More Pics

The Dunes

We took an hour dune tour on the National Seashore that showed us the dune shacks. This was exciting to see; the sometime homes of writers and artists such as Eugene O'neil, Don Passos, Charles Hawthorn. Later, we went to the library to see the 12 scale replica of the Dorothea Rose schooner. We ended the day with drinks and oysters on the half shell at the Red Inn.

Yard Sale

Unbeknownst to us, this is the biannual Ptown yard sale and coincides with Columbus Day week end. The streets are packed with bargain hunters. The license plates tell us the hunters are from far and wide, Virginia, Quebec, Connecticut, etc. The weather has kissed us, a fabulous 80 degrees. We walked Ruby the entire length of Commercial Street and then stopped for lunch at Bubula's. We ate on the patio and she sat on the sidewalk next to our table sampling tomatoe and french fries. Tonight we dined at The Red Inn, thanks to Louis and Jerome's gift certificate. It is a beautiful setting overlooking the bay.

The Highlands

The Highlands is an area of the National Seashore. Located here is the Cape Light, which casts its light 50 miles out to sea. The house and light have been moved 50 yards back from the eroding cliffs to prevent its loss. We climbed to the top for a look at the fresnel and the Atlantic. Also in the Highlands area is the house of whaling Captain Penniman.

Cape Cod National Seashore

We headed to Wellfleet for lunch and a visit to the Cape Cod National Seashore. After a large plate of bbq (no trip of ours is complete without a tasting of the local bbq), we headed to the Fort Hill area of the park. It is a beautiful mixture of marsh, beach and dunes. We walked the trail and then veered off into the marsh for a closer look. Another beautiful day to behold.

Pilgrim Monument

We're taking on the role of true tourists this time in Ptown. We climbed the Pilgrim Monument today, a landmark I've observed for years but never visited. The climb is fairly easy; it's made of ramps rather than stairs. The inside corners are inlaid with plaques from all the Mass communities that donated money to the building (1920s). Theodore Roosevelt was present for the dedication.

Provincetown

The next 10 days find us in Provincetown, MA dog sitting for friends Louis and Jerome. Ruby, an Irish Terrier, is a wonderful dog. She's obedient and friendly. The house sits atop a hill in the west end of town overlooking Long Point from one side and Herring Cove from another. The lot is huge with a fruit orchard, garden and small hill top above the house. Today we took Ruby to Race Point on the National Seashore. The weather is unseasonable warm.