Cape Codders' Beach Time

This is when the locals go to the beach - before the snow flies and after the tourists and Summer People leave for the season. There are some public parks and recreation areas which are truly closed after the summer (I guess WE are not the public they mean to serve) but the public beaches are not only open but they are free and you can bring your dog. In summer to park there you must have a purchased sticker for your local beach, and for other beaches there is a fee. Generally if you walk in you don't have to pay, and after 3:00 pm it's free. You can't bring your dog from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Therefore locals are to be seen on the beach after 3:00 or off season. It's nicer then anyway, because the water is never very warm here so I don't swim anyway, and the summer crowds are no fun.

Roxy and I went out to the Mashpee Town Beach and the South Cape State Park for a walk today, taking advantage of a sunny day. It's still unseasonably warm, although it felt quite cool and breezy today. I needed a coat and wished I had brought gloves.  The cold breeze did nothing to mar the beauty of the beach and we had a great time. Roxy gets bored hanging around the house all day, and no matter how many times I suggest she take up a hobby she never does. We had the beach mostly to ourselves, except for one man and a couple with a dog. We did see a group walking on the trail, but they were going in the opposite direction and we didn't even hear them after they passed.

I got a cold this week and some kind of eye infection, so I set my knitting aside for a day. This may prove to be a fatal mistake for my Christmas preparations, but it can't be helped. I guess I should have settled right down to work this afternoon instead of roaming around the marsh, but I couldn't resist. The really cold weather will be here too soon, and although I will probably still stop by the beach often it's not likely I'll spend much time there.