Field Trip - Nantucket MA Anniversary Trip

Back in April, Dan sent me an email advising me to block off June 15-17 on my calendar as he had a Third Anniversary field trip planned and that he wanted to keep the destination a surprise for the time being since I love surprises.  Last Monday, the morning of,  he told me what kind of clothes to pack and then we set off on our adventure.  After days of sunshine, Monday was warm but rainy.  First stop, Newburyport MA.  We ate lunch at a little place called Loretta and after Dan ran in to Richdale, home of the best bulk candy selection ever! and bought me a fat sack of chocolate covered raisins and for himself, malt balls.  Now, just so you don't worry about our health, we didn't dig in and start eating our candy just because we were on a road trip.  Nosiree, we put the candy away for about 15 minutes and then I took out three raisins and Dan got two malt balls.  My raisins were almost as big as the malt balls and that is why I love Richdales so much!  We passed through Boston and I began to guess where we were headed:  the Hudson river area of NY, the Catskills, Providence RI, the Berkshires, nope, and then Cape Cod?  Bingo!  Dan told me we were staying at the Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham tonight, massages this afternoon just after arriving, exploring and dinner in Chatham, and then tomorrow, Tuesday, taking the early morning ferry to Nantucket for the day.  Dinner back on the Cape at 28 Atlantic in East Harwich, and then to a favorite bakery, PB Boulangerie in Wellfleet for breakfast the following day on Wednesday before heading back to NH.  Yay!!

 Rainy streets in Newburyport - I adore this town!
 If you locals have never shopped for candy here in Newburyport, you had better soon.  This is the place where my kids request their Christmas stocking candy and birthdays too.

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 Peeking inside to admire my candy.

 My two raisins were almost as big as the malt ball

 Scene outside our cottage window where we stayed at the Chatham Bars.

 We had the best seafood at this place, the Impudent Oyster - I highly recommend it!!

 Taking a walk after dinner in Chatham

 We woke up to really thick fog.  The day ended up being warm and mostly cloudy but we got several breaks of sun fortunately as the day wore on.

 On the ferry heading out - DanMan

 Arriving at Nantucket.  Wide, ancient cobbley roads.

 First we explored all the commercial areas of the town and then we walked in the delightful residential areas and even snuck in a few back yards.

 I just kept taking pictures of the stone streets!

 Roses everywhere!

 Town offices at the original square of the town of Nantucket.

 Picture of me to mark the occasion of our third anny that Dan took.

 We rented a Scooter to take us to the town of Siasconset or 'Sconset as it's called.  This little village is all tiny rose covered cottages with pocket gardens right in the center and then some big versions of the same on the out skirts.  The beach there is lovely with its miles of bluffs.

 All houses in 'Sconset have these lattices built on them, many going up and over roofs for the roses to climb.  We were there too early in the season to see all the roses in bloom.  Last time I was in Nantucket, I was there right in the thick of the bloom.

 Typical lane that meanders through and around the tiny cottages.  I wonder if it's a town law that you have to plant climbing roses to cover your cottage because everyone has them.

 One of the many pocket gardens we oggled as we walked.

The white sign marks the beginning of the Bluff Walk in 'Sconset.  For much of the walk, you are right in folk's back yards and the rest of it you are on the bluffs overlooking the sea.  It's spectacular.

 I spent a lot of time with my nose in flowers and roses and now I have two rashes on my face presumably from poison ivy?

 Heading down to the beach.

 Heading back to the Ferry.

 Hooray - Wednesday morning - sunshine again - no clouds in sight!

 We got up bright and early again to drive about 45 minutes to breakfast.  This morning looked very different from the pea soup fog of the morning before.

 I have mentioned that Amy's Bread in NYC makes the best hot chocolate in this country that I have tasted; well PB's came in a very close second - super super rich and chocolately, bitter, not too sweet and very hot.  We ordered pain de chocolate, then Dan got a raisin swirl thingy and I got that pastry with a croissant type crust, poached thin sliced apples on a thin layer of custard - superb!!  I was stuffed after - no wonder - what gluttony!  Don't judge, we skipped lunch and I power walked an hour after dinner and worked in the yard after we got home.  It's all good!

 People were in a line that went out the door.  Fortunately we got there right before the throngs of people arrived.

 Right on the corner of Route 6 and Lecount Hollow Rd, South Welfleet.  Go there!

 Sandwiches to bring home because they were displayed so temptingly and made on fresh baguettes!

When we arrived home, it was only 12:30 but we were not even close to being hungry for our sandwiches so we saved them for dinner.  Dan went to his office and I went out in to the yard to weed and move some plants around.  After dinner, Dan went to his Bishopric meeting and I walked for an hour at the beach.  The sun was setting and when the rays hit the waves, it made them look like they were on fire.  This doesn't sufficiently capture but you get the idea.  Wonderful walk, wonderful day, wonderful anniversary trip, wonderful husband!!!

Cape Cod

We've been traveling a lot this September month.  I spent 5 days in Spokane, 2 days later we went to the Cape for 3 days, we came home and a day later we left for Rhode Island where we spent a week with 3 other couples.  One day after returning, my husband Dan left for a week in Utah ( with a day in Idaho to see his mother) on business.  The day he arrives home, we will have company for 8 days (yay!), his daughter Kara and her two children.  Anyway, this post is our Cape trip.  We stayed here at the Captain's House Inn in Chatham, a house from the early 1800's, now a 17 guest room inn.  All the help are British - the owners take the girls on student visas for June to June contracts.  They do this so they don't lose local employees to the school year.

We drove all over the Cape, going down as many side roads as we could to walk along different beaches, we went into shops, spent some time at Cape Cod National Seashore, found an authentic French bakery in Eastham called PB Boulangerie (look at that brownie!), bought croissants and really great bread to take home, spent a half day in Provincetown looking at all the crazy colorful shops and lovely houses (peeking right in windows into rooms that should be in magazines), we walked the entire loop around Nichols State Park in Brewster and the adorable general store there, went by the Nadeau's old summer place and beach where my son Heath spent many happy times, explored Welllfleet and its harbor and beaches, same thing in Dennis, found a river near Eastham we plan to Kayak next time we return - essentially we explored like mad and were awed by the beauty and we ate yummy food.

Dan was singing to the radio here it appears

Oh, and on the way to the Cape we got into an accident during rush hour - the truck In front of us slowed down abruptly to look at a car in the next lane with its door opened; we looked too and slammed into the truck.  Our car was towed away to Quincy, we took a taxi to Logan airport and rented a car and continued on to the Cape.  I have never seen anyone react so calmly to car destruction and detriment to plans as Dan did. When we determined we weren't seriously hurt after the crash and air bags and smoke filling the car, he just said "well we won't be going anywhere else in this car tonight".  My past experiences with others or myself was wailing, yelling and gnashing of teeth!  And he kept apologizing.  He's a keeper, that's for sure.