Seals and more beach, Chatham Ma

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We had a great lunch on the patio at the Kreme and Cone in Chatham, MA. Over fish and clams, shrimp and  onion rings we planned the afternoon. It was going on 2:30 pm by then anyway. The kids wanted to go to the Zooquarium in Yarmouth but they also wanted to see the seals. Since we were right there in Chatham we adults made an executive decision to go to the Fish Pier and see the seals.

We had great timing because the fishing boats were coming in with their catch. When we first got there a boat was off-loading lobster. Another boat had dogfish. Alex loved watching the unloading process.

The seagulls were swooping and there were 3- 4 seals that kept diving and swimming around the boats.

The nice thing about the Fish Pier is that a 2nd floor wrap around deck with a railing gives spectators an awesome place to watch the whole process. There’s a takeout seafood restaurant and a couple of picnic tables too as well as a decent restroom. Parking is a challenge. The parking lot is very tiny and always packed. Once you park you walk down to the pier.

The activity here held the kids attention much longer than I expected and we had a great time. When it was time to leave the kids made one last request. They wanted to walk the beach to look for shells. So it was back to the car for their buckets and flip-flops so they could wade in the water.

It was really neat. The little beach combers were very cute. A couple of the seals came around the dock and played in the water just off shore. This is the inner harbor and there hasn’t been any problem with sharks this far into the harbor but even so Nancy & I went on high alert to keep an eye out. Better safe than sorry.

We wrapped up the day by stopping for soft ice cream at the Seafood Shanty in Bourne. While we were eating our ice cream at the Herring Run recreation area across the road a huge barge passed us and traveled under the Sagamore bridge. It was just nearing sundown and it was easy to see why these are considered the golden hours for taking pictures.

The Sagamore bridge seemed to glow a burnished gold. It was the frosting on the cake. I had a great day and I think the kids had fun too. Next time we’ll have to get to the Zooquarium.

 

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The last day to vote according to the Official Rules is Sept 5, 2011. Clearly there is an advantage to submitting your pictures early but this is kind of fun and we hope you’ll stick with us until  the end. 🙂

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Mud Flats and Salt Marsh our Brewster Adventure Continues

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After we wrapped up our visit at the museum I took Dawn and Alex outside so that Nancy could pop into the gift shop real quick. We wandered around the building and found some picnic tables and a sand box.

Dawn was into that sand box in a heartbeat. It was almost lunch time. I expected that we’d be heading back to the car to find a place for lunch but when Nancy joined us she had other ideas. It was time to walk the trails.

The trails were amazing. The only problem was that I wasn’t prepared so I was dragging along behind everyone. It was kind of embarrassing when I’m used to setting the pace but I have noticed that I have definitely begun to slow down.

Anyway it wasn’t long before we reached the salt marsh. A narrow board walk path crossed the marsh. The osprey nest was to the right and there were two osprey on the nest. I wish I had the tripod and the bigger lens. I have to come back!

After crossing the salt marsh the kids spotted some standing stones. It was a solar calendar. A marker gave us information on how it worked and then the kids were off again! 🙂

We continued on down the trail with me bringing up the rear. We began to meet  people returning. They told us to keep going and we’d get to the water. Sure enough. Once we got out of the trees we were looking out over the dunes. The path sloped downward through the scrub grass and sand until we mounted the last rise to find ourselves looking out over the mud flats with the ocean beyond.

Nancy and Dawn walked down the beach to look for shells. I sat on the bank and Alex hung back with me. A lady with a couple of dogs stopped by to talk and we made friends with the canines, a little chihuahua and another medium-sized curly-haired black dog. They were really cute and the view was spectacular.

When Nancy and Dawn came back we headed back to the car. We drove back across the cape to Chatham where we stopped at the Kreme and Cone for a seafood lunch.

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How we Spent our Morning In Brewster, MA

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Brewster Ma is located on Cape Cod, a wonderful place almost anytime unless you dislike snow. But spring, summer and fall are certainly beautiful times to explore the Cape and Brewster is right in the middle.

Mapquest wanted us to get there by following route  6A. This is a great way to see the sights as the little country-style road meanders through all the little hamlets and towns along the coast of the Cape.  However we had two young children in the car (Can you hear the famous query? “Are we there yet”) so we chose to take  the Cape Highway also known as RT 6. It’s not as scenic but it’s certainly faster. We got off at the Dennisport exit and crossed the cape back to 6A South for our last little bit to our destination.

We were heading to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.

 The Museum is pretty tiny but it’s really well-appointed. The mission statement or purpose is to increase awareness of the environment around us.

There’s a library for research, an activity room where the kids can look at terrariums with snakes and toads, or enjoy the stuffed animals and birds in glass cases.

 There was a video feed from the Osprey nest and a large window looked out on bird feeders and bird baths. There were binoculars supplied to help with the bird watching.

In the short time we were there I spotted a family of cardinals, a yellow finch as well as an assortment of sparrows. The chipmunks were in attendance too.

There’s also a long activity table where the kids can color or trace the animals etched on the surfaces.

 Downstairs was a small aquarium with local fish, crabs, lobsters  and turtles. The jelly fish tank is a see through tank. Everyone was taking pictures through the tank, myself included.

A large shallow tank that looked like a “touch tank” was really a “No Touch tank” which was monitored by a volunteer who answered questions and pointed out the various creatures.

 She also made sure that no little fingers made their way into the tank. This was a bit of a disappointment for the kids but there were quite a few animals in this tank that would not do well with handling.

The museum is set on the edge of a salt marsh and mud flat but there is no admission for the trails. The only admission is charged for going into the museum itself. Even that is nominal, less than $10.00 per person.

You can go through the museum fairly quickly as we did with 2 energetic children towing us along but if you are an adult and go without  the kids , you may want to linger at some of the exhibits or sit in the comfy chairs in front of that big window and spend some time bird watching. I could have spent more time there without question. But today’s trip was for the kids and we moved at their energetic pace.

If you get to Brewster this is definitely worth a stop.