Our last full day at the Cape

The greatest surprise on Wednesday morning definately had to come when Joern called me down to the water.  Here's who we found hanging out at the water's edge happily enjoying the view and the yummy grass:

After watching the bunny for a while, we jumped into the car and made our way back to Nauset Beach.

We quickly found out that when you arrive at the ocean, and this is the extent of the swimming, it is a sign.  The bad weather the previous evening did a really good job of bringing in lots of very fresh, very cold water to the beach.  Brrrr!

We stayed at the beach until around 1:00, enjoying the beautiful weather, and Joern, brave enough to go for a swim. 
Afterwards, we headed out to north, into the arm of the Cape, to Truro Vineyards.

Unfortunately, we missed the last tour by about 30 minutes, but we were able to do  a wine tasting. 

The tasting was very informative, and we got to try every wine they offer.  Truro Vineyards had some delicious wine, but we decided we couldn't purchase very much, so we purchased two wines that were very unique.  We purchased a Sauvignon Blanc, because it seemed to be the perfect summer wine.  We also purchased a Cranberry Red, which was a delicious red, with a hint of cranberry.  For this New England Thanksgiving lover, the Cranberry Red will definately make its way into our Thanksgiving enjoyment this upcoming year!

 

We then drove around for a while, taking the back roads up towards Provincetown. 

After we got to P-town, we went to the Whydah Pirate Museum.  Yeah, Pirate Museum.  It doesn't seem very me, but I went there last time I was in the Cape, with my pirate-loving cousin, Elizabeth.  It turns out that the museum isn't as much a pirate museum, as it is a museum devoted to the Whydah, a ship that had been captured in 1717, by "Black Sam" Bellamy and a host of other pirates.  The ship became the flagship of Bellamy and his men.  It wrecked off the coast of Cape Cod.  The museum focuses on the history of the ship, as well as pirate-life in the 1700s.  One visit, and you have an entirely new understanding of pirates of the time. 
After our visit to the museum, it was dinner-time. It was so enjoyable to sit on the deck overlooking Provincetown Harbor. 

After an enjoyable dinner of lobster and steak, we headed out towards Race Point Beach for our final Cape Cod sunset.  Race Point Beach itself is gorgeous and wild, located at the tip of the Cape.  The sunset was incredible!

I guess not only humans enjoy the sunset off Race Point.  Quite a few seals actually passed by while we were there.

After a mesmerizing sunset, we stopped back in P-town for some ice cream and just to enjoy the town.

Tuesday in the Cape

We headed out to Nauset Beach on Tuesday morning. Another cool thing about Orleans is that because it is so centrally located, it also has ocean-side beaches and bay-side beaches. Joern and I both loved spending time at the ocean in Rockport, so we decided to spend the morning at the ocean-side beach.
We had a great time, but left when the fog rolled in.



After buying some lotion and aloe gel, we decided to check out Skaket Beach, which is the beach on Cape Cod Bay. I was so happy too that we got there at low tide. I really wanted to see a Cape Cod Bay beach low tide.




We spent the entire day between two beaches. It was lots of fun. For dinner, we headed out on Route 6A, the street that runs the entire length of the Cape. Joern saw a barbeque restaurant in Wellfleet.. Joern loves barbeque, so we couldn't turn away.
Joern loved his dinner, a ribeye steak with garlic smashed potatoes.

I still regret my choice, a terryaki glazed wood-plank grilled salmon. Way too sweet-bleh! Fortunately, my Maine wild blueberry ale more than made up for the meal.
After dinner, it was another ride. This time, we found ourselves at Nauset Light Beach, in Eastham. It had been a cloudy and rainy evening, but we were not disappointed by the sunset that evening either.

Afterwards, we headed over to Coast  Guard Beach, also in Eastham.

A full day at the beach was tiring, and we were a little sunburned.  So, after our little ride, we headed back to the hotel.  Of course, we decided to stop off for an ice cream first at the Ice Cream Cafe!

Cape Cod Part I

During the last week of our trip home, Joern and I headed up to Cape Cod for four days. The great thing about the Cape is that it is so unique in terms of its location and beauty, and it is so close to home.
We headed out on Monday morning, and after a stop at Wal-Mart and the outlet center in Westbrook,CT, we officially hit the road around 2 pm. Traffic was great, and by 4:30, we were crossing over the Sagamore Bridge and officially entering the Cape.
Unfortunately, it isn't too easy to take a picture on a bridge from a moving car, but this is the Cape Cod Canal underneath us as we cross the bridge:

We headed towards Orleans, which is located approximately in the center of the Cape. Lots of people advised that this would be a good place to stay for Joern's first trip, because of its central location, you ´can reach all areas of the Cape in well under an hour.
Finding good deals on hotels in the Cape in the summer is like finding a needle in a haystack, but we got relatively lucky. We stayed at the Cove Motel in Orleans. Not bad. The view from the hotel was particularly beautiful.



Once we got checked in and freshened up, we decided to do a little exploring before dinner.




Dinner was at the Lobster Claw, a pretty popular family style restaurant in Orleans.
I have to admit, my dinner was a bit indulgent, but a very welcome taste of home. I had a lobster boil dinner, which included lobster, corn on the cob, and 12 steamed clams. I haven't had steamers in years, and boy, were they just as delicious as I remembered!

Joern decided that he wanted to go for a ride after dinner. We headed up towards Provincetown, which lies on the tip of the Cape. We found ourselves at Herring Cove Beach near P-town, just as the sun was setting. Turns out going to the beach and watching the sunset is a hobby at the Cape! Of course, I quickly learned why watching sunsets is so popular there!



We drove through Provincetown before heading home. It was a beautiful night!

My cooking desire

I guess we ate out too much when we were home, and then spent the past few weeks eating Vesper (the German answer to dinner, veggies and bread and deli meats.) Or maybe I can feel fall coming. Whatever it is, I find myself longing for good, homecooked food.
Besides spending my last week of freedom visiting friends and more house plans, I want to cook!
I want to make pasta sauce and hummus. I would also like to make more foods that can be frozen, like the pasta sauce. When I made pasta sauce last year, it lasted us a good 4 months, and so yummy!
So, I am scouring the internet while I watch the Gilmore Girls, looking for yummy, summer-produce recipes. I am hoping to talk Joern into going to the market tomorrow, for some yummy fruits and veggies.
I'll post with my market finds and of course, I'll post my creations!