Come along with me...............

Gettysburg, like most of the country is locked into some exceptionally hot and dry weather. So to take my mind off of it for awhile, I thought I take a virtual trip to Cape Cod and you are invited to come along! I'd love to share with you some my favorite places and things that make it, for me, the best place in the whole world to be! This is my house where I love to hang out whenever and as often as I possibly can, no matter what time of year. It is a very tiny 2 bedroom house that my parents built in 1976 to retire to. They enjoyed many happy years there, and now it's mine to love and enjoy in the burgeoning spring and quiet, serene fall after the summer tenants have returned to their homes. Even in the blustery, gray, damp winter when it is fully dark at 4:30 in the afternoon, it is a delightful place to be, to settle down in front of a cozy fire with some stitching, soft music or a good book and a glass of wine and let the rest of the world go by. In the cool spring days of April and May, the geraniums,

the luscious lilacs,

the wild beach plum shrubs,

and the sweet pansies

are in full riot all over the Cape - in yards and along the roads, blooming their hearts out!

Now in July through the fall, the wonderful Rosa Rugosas are sending their luscious sweet rose scent into the air to mingle with the smells of salt water, pine trees, and warm sand. There's nothing else like it! Can you tell how much I love it????

As the weather warms up in May, the charter fishermen put their boats in the water at Rock Harbor and gear up for what they hope is a season of many successful fishing trips into the bay for striped bass and big blue fish, tuna and whatever else strikes their fancy - and is good to eat!

Nearby, Capt. Cass's Seafood Shanty, clad in lobster pot bouys, serves locals and tourists alike ...

.........the quintessential Cape Cod lunch - a split-top, toasted hot dog bun stuffed and overflowing with a simple lobster salad, made with just the tiniest bit of mayo to hold it all together! All this is usually accompanied by a cup or bowl of creamy clam chowder too! It doesn't get any better than this unless..................

....................you work off that humongus lunch with a trip to the tidal flats at low tide and dig for your dinner! It's easy to gather a bucket of delicate steamers or soft shell clams to take home for supper on the deck! I like to quickly steam them with some fresh garlic, parsley and wine just until they open. Then swish them in the broth to rinse off the last bit of sand, dunk them in some hot, melted butter, add in a crisp salad, some hot, crusty Portugese bread and a chilly bottle of Chardonnay and you have an amazing, unbeatable dinner fit for a king! It's my favorite, a go-to often and unequaled by anything else! Aren't they beautiful??? Anyone hungry???

Hmmmm.....I seem to have focused on food a lot in this blog!

Moving along............

Down the road and on the way to the beach is this charming flag made entirely of clam shells! My neighbor has been setting this out along the side of the road for as many years as I have been going to the Cape and can remember - repainting them each spring and taking them inside each winter. One year, it was part of a feature article in Country Living magazine! I see this special bit of Americana and patriotism everyday, every time I walk the dog to the beach! Love it! Many an evening when it looks like or feels like there might be a beautiful sunset, people drive or walk to the end of the road and gather to toast the end of the day with a glass of wine (or whatever!) As the sun finally dips below the horizon, someone may start to sing God Bless America or clap or cheer and everyone joins in to salute the end of a great day on Cape Cod. It's amazing, powerful, restorative.

Good night, my beloved wonderful Cape. Til I see you in the fall................

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse of my special place. But there's lots more to see and enjoy, so I'll post beach pictures when I'm there in the fall. Meanwhile, next week I babysit for the twins, so the camera will be clicking for sure! Stay tuned.......

Until later,

Cathy