Anniversary Tea and Sandwiches in Sandwich, MA

While our anniversary has moved since we got married, I still like to celebrate our 'original' anniversary. I don't need an excuse to day trip!

We headed to Sandwich on Cape Cod to have afternoon tea and take in the sea airs. The weather actually cooperated and the earth was in bloom.  

We cruised the colonial (early American) sites, like this grist mill from the revolutionary days that still grinds corn in season to this day. 

It was warm enough I only had to wear three layers. Success.

We had tea at Dunbar Tea Room which is housed in a carriage house of a colonial home from the mid-1700's. We took no time before diving in...

After tea we headed to the Sandwich glass museum to see a glassblowing demonstration. 

Whilst in the neighborhood we came across a turkey vulture plucking at a cute fuzzy thing. Everything's got to eat and he was quite the majestic creature.

Before leaving the cape we stopped at the shore and walked the longest boardwalk in the history of boardwalks:

...finally the Atlantic lay before us. Beautiful, windswept, and cold - as usual!

New Bedford Whaling Museum

Winter seems to be intent on lasting a record time this year. All the New England-y summer tourist things are waiting for us, but everyone's still inside waiting to see sunlight and temperatures above 45. 

However if we all waiting for the weather to cooperate, New England would still be huddled in the first huts the early colonialists built. So onward and upward or perhaps, seaward for fun.

New Bedford Massachusetts has a long (read: as long as America's been a country) history of shipbuilding, sailing, fishing, and whaling. Whaling as since been replaced by whale conservation, but the history if this integral part of early New England industry and livelihood is a tale of riches, dangers, and of course, the world's largest creatures.

To try and imagine the true size of a whale is daunting for me; I can look a at  school bus and know there are animals that size in the ocean, but it's still a bit fuzzy. Conveniently the New Bedford Whaling Museum has solved my spatial thinking problems with a real life blue whale skeleton. It's almost 14 years old, but it is still dripping oil, as seen by the Plexiglas plate in it's jaw.

The Whaling Museum explores what whaling was like for the men who did it and what it meant to their home communities. Far flung sea journeys expanded the ideas humans had of the size and scope of the world.

As dangerous as whaling and arctic exploration was, there were always those who could see the beauty in unforgiving ice and cold.

Explorers and whalers met people living in isolated, brutal locations like Greenland only to discover they thrived, created, and dreamed like they themselves.

A solitary snowflake revealed an intricate design of nature's own plan.

But back to whales, I required my fellow museum goers to play along. A sperm whale jaw bone comparison:

Then I had to join the congressional delegation:

Moving on to the arts side of things, we took in an extraordinary collection of crafts made from whale bone and baleen.

Other sailor crafts like carved abalone shells,

And shaped, decorated thin strips of whale bones made into corset inserts, or busks.

Sailors made these whilst on long journeys for sweethearts back at home. An intimate accessory as they were tucked inside a lady's undergarments, a man had better been set on marriage bringing home such a token.

The amount of time and careful work these busks  required seems unbelievable but with an average whaling tour lasting upwards of two years, I guess you needed a project.

Lastly, we checked out the 50 percent scale whaler from the ground...

and the viewing gallery.

And took in the view of old New Bedford from the roof.

And of course stopped to chat with our new friends.

Mr. Emperor of the Antarctic...

and Sir Walrus de LongTooth.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740. 

Sand and Salt

It's a family tradition to go to the beach in August.

Walk the shore and brave the frigid Atlantic...

go antiquing,

scope the wildlife (and not so),

eat some lobster,

and take it all in and remember the ocean is always there.

Rockport: Swapping the TV for the Ocean

Fleeing the eerie silence of an empty city under lock-down, we headed North to the coast of Cape Ann. It had been a surreal week but we had had these weekend plans in place for a while and they proved to be a much needed break from the endless hours of watching the news of the manhunt for the Boston bombing suspects. 

Rockport, MA

Leaving the city is always a bit of a shock, even though I am from the ‘country’. Rockport was so quiet, so still and rather empty. We stayed at the Tuck Inn and immediately set off to explore the beautiful colonial downtown and the harbor. Rockport boasts the most painted building in America a red barn referred to as “Motif #1” because of it’s popularity with the painters. Bearskin Neck juts out into the harbor and is lined with shops and restaurants.

There's a few red barns on the harbor...

We spent our weekend walking and snacking and not watching the news. Lobster rolls are a must have; on Bearskin Neck just find the hole in the wall on the right headed out to sea and find a seat on the patio out back. Nothing beats fresh seafood overlooking the source.

Lobster - and love - is all you need

Since eating the main focus of the time not spent walking, the elephant ears / fudge shop on the neck is worth a stop too. Elephant ears are thin flaky spiral shaped pastries of cinnamon and sugar and butter.

A dinner plate sized snack

Sunday we stopped in Gloucester on the way home and visited the Fishermen’s Memorial for all the men of Gloucester lost at sea. The New England town was made tragically famous by the 90’s film “The Perfect Storm.”

Fishermen's Memorial

Sometimes all you need is the ocean.