Back from Cape Cod

At summer's end we always take a vacation the week before Labor Day. As usual this year we rented a cottage in Chatham on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The cottage is an adorable little beach cottage that is located within walking distance to a nature preserve and Forest Beach. The Forest Beach area is quintessential Cape Cod with sand dunes, marshes, and clapboard cottages. I dream of owning a summer cottage there some day.... well one can only dream... this is one of the most expensive neighborhoods on all of Cape Cod.

Here's a view from the outside of the cottage. I love the blue awnings and weathered look.

This is the dinning area - it looks like at one time it was a screened in porch. We sat here evenings and let the cool breeze blow through as we lit candles and played cards.

The living room.

The fireplace in the living room for cool evenings.

One of the bedrooms.

A very functional kitchen with original beadboard cabinets.


Another view of the living room.

A marina nearby the cottage in Harwich.

The lighthouse in Chatham.

Lighthouse beach - 3 great white sharks were spotted in the waters here while we were there!

This is what happens when you leave your lunch on the beach unattended while going for a dip in the ocean. It all starts with one hungry seagull. (This was not our lunch it belonged to someone near us).



Then a friend joins him for lunch.

Before you know it an entire flock is having a party. Look at the guy laying down in the background - the seagulls didn't even faze him. Amazing because they made a ton of noise.

Another view of Chatham Lighthouse Beach.



A visit to Monomoy Beach and Nature Preserve was loads of fun for Ellie.... you'll see why... below are the steps leading down to the beach. This picture was taken at low tide, but we've been there when the water was right up to the rocky cliffs at high tide.

A horse shoe crab has molted its shell.

Another view of Monomoy Nature Preserve Beach. There are tons of seals right off these shores, which is what brought the great white sharks in for a visit.


Ellie's absolutely favorite thing to do while visiting Monomoy Nature Preserve is to roll around in the seaweed and hide her favorite ball.










I love looking at all the beach cottages around Chatham. Some are large and grand while others are small and cozy. This one was grander than most and had a gorgeous garden.







This isn't a cottage but a family gathering shack. Right after this photo was taken the family that owned it pulled up, threw open the hurricane shutters and had a family barbecue for Labor Day. The shack is right on the beach and has been owned by a Chatham family for decades. It has no running water or electricity so they don't stay there overnight.
Some rocks on the Jeddy at Forest Beach.


Ellie's paw prints.

Another view of Forest Beach... this beach was a short walk from where we stayed for the week.

This shack is called a half way house. It's actually a historical landmark. These shacks were placed along the shore on Cape Cod for ship recked sailors in the late 1800s.

You see these blue boxes all over salt marshes in Cape Cod. They are used to lure and trap horse flies. The flies think it's a horse or cow and they are drawn in to the underside of it and can't escape -- dumb flies -- doesn't look like an animal to me.

Wild flowers growing along the fence at the Forest Beach Nature Preserve.

The salt marsh at Forest Beach.



A row of birdhouses in front of a beach cottage.




Another cottage....

This cottage is for sale at $800,000! It's tiny in size but because it's right on the beach it commands a high price.

More cottages in the Forest Beach area below....



























On the 2nd to the last day of our vacation we took a drive to Sandwich, Cape Cod (east of Chatham on the cape). I love this bird house.

A bridge that takes you from the marshes to the ocean beaches.

An osprey nest in Sandwich.

A boardwalk on the marsh in Sandwich, Cape Cod.

Another view of the boardwalk.

The rocky ocean waves in Sandwich.

A great place for kayaking in the salt marsh of Sandwich.




On our final day of vacation we stopped by the Bird Watchers store in Orleans, Cape Cod. I LOVE this store and have to hold back from buying everything in there. Here is Andy haming it up in front of the store with a huge pair of binoculars.


These are fused glass bird baths. I would love to have one.

While vacationing Andy and I did a lot of kayaking. We enjoyed it so much we bought our own. Here's Andy proudly displaying his new purchase. We bought 2 Wilderness Systems Pungo 120s. The lime green one is mine and the yellow is his. We should be able to kayak until early November at least. This weekend we hope to try them out for the first time.
I hope you enjoyed the tour of our Cape Cod vacation. I've got lots of catching up to do with my blogging and can't wait to read what you've all been up to.