And the Beach Goes on

Today Logan, Jennifer and I went out to sample another Cape Cod beach (Beach #3 if you're counting, and #4 if you count a peek at Highland). This time I chose Nauset Beach on the Atlantic coast, which I think is one of the nicest beaches on the Cape. It's long, the sand is clean and pretty, and it has services: public restrooms, outdoor showers, and a clam shack. It's a wildly popular beach in season and can be really crowded, but today only a very few were there to enjoy its beauty. The heavy influx of tourists is really here in July and although temperatures are cool now the beach is still pretty and I don't get in the water anyway. I prefer to stay out of any water cooler than 80°. When we arrived it was super foggy and really cold. We were there at low tide, so we had a huge expanse of level sand to enjoy. Once the fog burned off and the sun came out we were warm enough, but the water is still too cool to go in. Water temperatures are running around 43° today, so we barely dunked our feet. Logan kept getting himself wet, so there was much changing of clothes and wrapping in towels. Some hardier (crazy) souls actually got into the water and swam. The sand was warm and the breeze moderate - a perfect beach day, and a perfect day to get a little sunburn. I wanted Logan to see some seals, but there were only a few around and he did not have the patience to wait and watch for them to appear. When they are swimming there is not much to see, just little black heads!

Once we came off the beach Logan was covered in sand and got to experience an outdoor shower. He found it thrilling, especially in light of the fact that he enjoys public nudity whenever possible. We went on to Zia's Pizzeria for some delicious sandwiches and baked goods, then drove out to look at the Highland Light. By the time we left there everyone was pretty tired and it was getting late. Once home we got some ribs on the grill and settled in for a quiet evening. Roxy kept slipping out of the house but never left the general vicinity of the delicious smelling grill so we didn't have to track her down.

Earlier in the day Logan and I went to the dump - he was interested in seeing our recycling center. Lots of questions!

And Now for Something Completely Different

Our day at the beach looked like this:

Beach Baby

In spite of a stinky forecast Jennifer, Logan and I headed for Chatham this morning with a plan to take a walk on the beach. We had been planning to visit the Chatham Train Depot which is now a museum, but it will not be open for the season for at least another week. We were disappointed but decided to get some lunch and take a walk on the beach. The weather was not great but when you're near the beach you may not consider that a deal breaker.


We stopped at Larry's PX for lunch - both of us enjoy a diner. Larry's has mixed reviews around the Internet, but Jennifer and I each had perfectly cooked cheese and avocado omelets and were very satisfied with our lunches. Logan was not in an eating mood, but we ordered mac n cheese for him anyway. Instead he chose to eat some of our toast and a glass of chocolate milk. We took all of his macaroni home for his dinner.

By the time we got to the beach the clouds were clearing. We took a peek inside the Chatham Light and had the talk from the Coast Guard guide and then went for a nice long walk on the beach. That activity was very much to Logan's taste - running and shouting is the sort of thing he most enjoys. We could not go into the water because of the severe undertow, but only a maniac would choose to go into that cold water anyway. We were not disappointed to have to stay out. By the time we turned back to return to our car our walk just about wore us out and we arrived at the parking lot pleasantly tired.We still had some errands to run and I can tell you they were not appealing at all, except for the quick stop at Marion's Pie Shop for a  bit of blueberry heaven. Logan napped in the car every time we started driving. Tomorrow will not be an active day - I have to work, but Logan and I will take a thrilling trip to the dump in the morning before I need to get ready.



I did promise a look at yesterday's tantrum, so here it is:

Life's a Beach

My eldest daughter is visiting with the Little Prince this week. Of course in honor of her visit we are having cold and rainy weather but we visited the beach this afternoon anyway. It was a nice antidote to the day of meltdowns at breakfast, twice at Target, and lunch, interspersed with contention, testing and argument! Four is a tough age for Mom and child both. I've got a little video of this morning's breakfast tantrum to share on You Tube this week - the star of the piece cannot get enough of watching himself scream and sulk, so at least one person thinks it is extremely entertaining.

I Talk to the Trees

There are some interesting studies around that explore the idea that plants and particularly trees communicate with each other. Some suggest pheromones, some fungus, and some even think trees may be making sounds in a range not audible to the human ear. I enjoy the sounds of trees that are within my range - the rush of wind through the leaves and the creaking of limbs. Getting up close and touching the trunks you can feel the vibrations going through the tree.  This article in WikiHow suggests some ways to enjoy trees if you are not currently communing with yours. Some of the suggestions may sound kind of silly, but I can tell you for sure time spent quietly with nature has real benefits.

In case these activities don't excite you, this guy has a more active approach to enjoying nature:

May 29 2012 Garden Report

This week my Siberian iris is in full bloom. While the flowers are not large there are a lot of them and because they extend almost the length of the bed  and all one color the display is very effective.

The rhododendrons are in full bloom all over the Cape, bringing to a close the season for the large flowering shrubs. I have two big pink and two dwarf white. Driving around I see lots of beauties I'd like to add to my garden, but I can hardly complain when my two pink ones are ten or twelve feet tall and covered with blooms! I'm pretty well resolved to run a border of rosa rugosa on the south side of the property. This is a shrub which spreads readily (too readily, truth be told), has scented flowers, does not require special care, and will not grow so tall as to obstruct the view of traffic from the driveway. It's not quite a native plant, but does grown wild here on the beach. Animals like the attractive red hips, and the crazy spiny branches are excellent shelter for small birds. It will allow pruning when needed without being picky about how it should be cut. There is a steep slope between us and the neighbor's lot; I think this would be a good plant to stabilize the slope. Currently we have a fence here, but it is not in a good state of repair. When it won't stand up anymore I would not be unhappy to have the lot bordered by a rugosa hedge instead of a fence. Since we sit a little higher than the neighboring property the fence is really not providing a great deal of privacy and it's not pretty. I'll dig up some starts of rosa rugosa from the Dobberteen garden the next time I'm over there keeping Bruce company and we'll be up and running with them.

The shady back corner is now completely planted as a hydrangea and hosta garden. It looks kind of wimpy and empty now because I have planted with mature sizes in mind, but I know how it will look when it's mature. I saw a beautiful example of this combination in Falmouth and liked it well enough to duplicate the combination. All it needs now is time (lots of time), some judicious pruning of some of the overhanging trees and maybe a focal point. The plot I admired in Falmouth has a big rock as a focal point; if I don't go with that Inace had a little fiberglass rowboat Shana wants to feature as a planter somewhere in the yard. This may be the spot we choose. The only drawback to that is that it will be way out of proportion for a couple of years. I may decide to fit Tiny Toes (the boat's name) into the new phase of the sunny garden behind the shed to be set up next spring. Either way I want a bench back there near the hosta garden which means I am going to have to move the composter. No one wants to sit and relax next to the composter. Shana has a fear that it will be smelly and she will see maggots. So far I don't smell anything and have not seen the much feared maggots, but I agree it is not a sight to inspire meditation except for the most ardent gardener.

 
We had a BBQ here on Memorial Day and I was gratified to receive a lot of positive comments on my yard. Very motivating!

Memorial Day Weekend Part One

First sight of Fenway!

Getting the field ready for the game

Shana and I are both off for the weekend and have therefore overscheduled the time! Our friends Shelley arrived  with her daughter yesterday morning. They are moving to the Cape for a while and are staying with us for the weekend. They brought along two dogs and a cat - one chihuahua named Peyton Manning, one extremely elderly schnauzer mix who is named Sparky but looks more like a doggy Keith Richards, and an older cat. Roxy was fine with the dog visitors - she has known Sparky for years and was glad to see him. The cat was intriguing. Turns out because of a landlord issue the cat will be living with us. This will involve some cat box adjustments because Roxy is an inveterate "snacker". Right now Midnight (the cat) has decided the basement stairs are hers and hers alone. Typically cat: she sees all that comes and goes and is seen by one and all, with the added charm of possibly sending someone to her death should she fail to see the cat on the step. Roxy is afraid to go past her. Even with this inconvenience Roxy is all smiles with all the company. I have hopes that she will enjoy Midnight's company. She's lived with a cat before and they got along fine.

Peyton Manning The Dog

Sparky AKA Doggy Keith Richards

Last night we all went to a Red Socks game in Boston. We parked at the end of the Red Line and came in by T. This takes a little longer, but saves about $30.00 because parking near Fenway Park is hideously expensive. We had perfect weather and  great seats for an exciting game. On the way to the game we dropped Roxy off to spend the night with Mitzi the Fiend and her buddy Louie rather than leave her alone with the cat. This worked out brilliantly, except that  due to the crazy weekend traffic on the Cape on the way to drop her off at the sleepover Shana had to brake suddenly. Roxy was on my lap; I grabbed for her so she would not shoot across the car like a guided dog missile and jammed my finger against the back of the seat (I was sitting in the back seat). If it was a toe I would just think it was broken and tape it up, but I don't want to go there with a finger! It's ugly and purple, but is not too sore because it is so swollen. I'll see Dr. Lisa for BBQ tomorrow and get her opinion.




Today was a big yard work day for me. I was hoping to make Shana mow and edge this week, but she's been out getting Shelley settled in her new digs. Because Shelley only brought what she could fit in her car she needed a few items to settle in to her new place. Shana & Shelley hit Cape Cod Pickers for some things while I wrestled the yard into respectability so it would look nice for our BBQ tomorrow. I ran by the hardware store this morning for eye protection before using the edger, but before I use it again I have got to have some ear protection. That thing is super loud.

And for extra animal fun, here's a video of mistaken identity: