Man the cannons

It is Monday and Sam had to go back to work today but only for a half day, so I spent the morning watching Game of Thrones and keeping the cats company. 

When Sam got back, she had thought a trip back to Saratoga would be interesting. We went there on my first visit to the states but it was November and got dark early so didnt get to see too much. We went back to the historical site of the battle for Saratoga, where the British got defeated against the Americans at the very start of the war for independence. 

This time we could drive around the site and see the landscapes of where the battle took place, learning about the troop movements and the battle itself. It was all very interesting and nice to see in the full day light. 

Two flags from history. 

Cannons over looking the Hudson, stopping the British advance to Albany and forcing the British to fight on American terms and the cannon sat looking out from the British encampment guarding the valley bellow where they were forced to set camp while the battle raged. 

I enjoy history and it was nice to come back and listen to the audio, read the signs and learn about the battle that turned the tide for independence. It got me to wondering what the world would look like now, had the British won. Very thought provoking.

After our history lesson, we went back to Albany and found the restaurant on the Hudson. Its an old paddle steamer converted to a floating restaurant, we had been there before and I enjoyed our meal. It was a pleasant evening, a lot cooler than it was on the Cape but I could still sit comfortably in a T-shirt. 

After which, we went home, watched some more Game of Thrones and went to sleep.  

photos

Sunday was our rest day, not doing much of anything apart from watching Game of Thrones and eating. So there isn't much to report for today. So I thought about posting those photos I have been promising. You can see a full set of my Cape cod pictures here and a full set of whale watching pictures here. I also thought I'd post a few here, on this blog just to start things off.

Some more shots of the cottage, I am going to miss this place, so peaceful. 

 Some of the wildlife we could see from the cottage. It was always pretty active out there, in the bushes, on the grass and on the marsh.

Some of the sunsets we witnessed from the decking and the dock. Warm summer evening's with the sounds of dusk and the dancing of fire flies, not to mention the friendly neighborhood Raccoons. 

Jupiter and Venus shinning out our last night just after the sun dipped below the horizon, giving us a good show before we left. 

The Herritage Gardens, or some of the shots from them. A real sunny day with some marvelous views. I really enjoyed visiting them. 

A few of the cars in the collection of the Herritage museum. 

Our Kayaking adventure. I got the hang of it after a while and really started to enjoy it but my arms did ache when I got back on shore. Having said that, I'd do it again. What a wonderful experience.  

Some birdlife at the natural history museum including an Osprey in it's nest and a Cardinal munching on his seeds. I wish we got those back home, they would be a welcome addition to my garden. 

Provincetown, where we went on our whale watching trip. 

 Some shots from our Whale watching trip. I was really blown away by these huge, magnificent animals and it was really exciting to wait to see which side of the boat they were going to surface if at all. It was just a shame I didn't manage to get some shots of the basking shark or the whales as they passed right beside the boat, but my camera couldn't see below the surface. I hope you enjoy what I managed to shoot. 

Finally a couple of pictures of me and Sam enjoying the evening sunshine back at the cottage. I hope you enjoyed the photos, there are more in the links at the top of this post. 

That was it. Our visit to Cape Cod. 

Say goodbye.

Not much to report today. We got up early and packed away our things, we were leaving the Cape today and we had to say goodbye to the cottage and the marsh. I know I will look fondly on our time here and I hope to come back one day. We left the money on the counter and closed the door behind us.

Four hours of travelling time and we finally arrived back in Albany. We handed our washing in at the laundrette and had time for a nap after our journey. 

That evening we went to visit Rocky and Lori, Sam's friends. We visit them every time I come over and always have a great evening. Lori is such a great host and we had a great meal followed by pie purchased at Marion's pie shop back at the Cape. After a great meal and great conversation, we left to get home and straight to bed. It was a tiring day and we were both in need of some well earned sleep. 

Tat day

Today is our last day on the Cape and it didn't start so great, there was light rain and an overcast sky. We set off to do our usual morning thing, upload the blog and get some breakfast. I usually upload my blog using the dunkin donuts guest wifi but today my blogger application crashed and I lost the entire blog post. We though we'd get breakfast first at The Pancake Man, which was pretty busy but the food was good, after which Sam wanted a day to go shopping for tat to take home. Welł I thought I'd done enough of the stuff I wanted to do so I thought, why not, I'll give her a day. So we went from shop to shop looking for something to take home for Sam, I just followed her around like a lost pup, thinking I could of waited in the car. Having said that, it was still pretty fun. 

We took a break halfway through the day and came back to the cottage. I rewrote my blog and had my ice cream from sundae school, which we bough the night before and kept in the freezer. I have to say, that's some of the best ice cream I have ever had. 

We headed back out, there was candy and pie on the list still to acquire. I was going along for the ride at this point but Sam pulled in at Monomoy wildlife refuge, or "The weather balloon station" for a sit and admiration of the view. 

Heading back we picked up a pie for Saturday night and sat outside on the deck for a while before going back to the sand bar for dinner. We sat outside in the sun and had our food. I was so stuffed and apparently we still have ice cream back at the cottage. 

Back at base, it was time to sit out and relax before we started to pack up for the trip home in the morning but not before one last sunset on the decking.

As the sun went down we started to stargaze again. We found Jupiter and Venus shinning bright for our last night and Saturn also made an appearance. Look out for pics of our little friends wishing us a good night for the last time on Cape cod. 

I have to say, my time at Cape cod has been fantastic. I have done things I have never done before, done things I have not done in a long time and seen things I never expected to see. I now see why Sam raves so much about it. It's such a beautiful location. The cottage is beautiful and you can really feel the woes of the world wash away from you when sat on the decking at sunset with a cold beer or glass of wine. To those who come here on a yearly basis, I see exactly why you do, I get it. For those that have never been, my blog doesn't even begin to describe how idilic this place is. I hope I get the opportunity to come again. 

Tides coming in. Sun's going down, time to sup that beer and recollect the most enjoyable time I have had. Don't forget to keep your eye on this blog for photos from my camera when we get back to Albany. 

Hop to it

This is my second attempt at writing this blog post. The being being lost to a poor internet connection. 

We woke up to a bright sunny morning and thought it a good idea to head to the beach first thing. We packed up the car and headed out. This time we were wanting to try an Atlantic beach rather than the usual Nantucket Sound beach we had used before. We arrived and walked down to the beach. There were warning signs along the way, explaining the dangers of swimming in the ocean. But there was one warning I hadn't seen before...

Seems we would be ok if there were no seal in the area. We set our stuff up close to the shoreline and next to the lifeguard area and we went to test the water.

It was rather chilly. Although the sun was really hot, the water was quite cold, so we thought better of going in at that moment and decided that a better idea would be to wait till we were suitably hot and take a quick dip to cool off. However the whole time we were sat there, heating up, we watched seal after seal swim across the beach and wondered why there were no people deeper in the water. Could it be because it was so cold or because of the danger that seals were a warning for? I think maybe a little of both. Sam even asked the life guard if it was ok to swim and they informed her that it was, they have seals there all the time. 

After getting suitably hot we decided to take that dip. So I got myself ready and, with Sam's help, hopped down to the water. The draw on the water was quite strong and it took a substantial amount of effort to remain stood up. Boy was that water cold. I managed to hop in deep enough to take a quick dive, submerging myself in the icy waters and coming up about belly deep. This was my downfall. Because I wasn't in deep enough, I was more hopping than floating and didn't rest myself well enough before deciding the water was too cold to continue. So I tried to make it back to shore. I got just to the surf line and my leg collapsed and I was now kneeling in the strong draw of the surf on small shells and stones struggling to get up. Sam was trying to help me but I just couldn't stand. The muscles in my leg were on fire and I seemed to be stuck there. I could see the beach chairs but they may well of been a mile away. Wave after cold wave hit me until I managed to muster enough reserve strength to stand and hop to the chair where I collapsed on the seat, my muscles burning and I was out of breath. It seemed that I had bitten of more than I could chew with that dip. I had been pushing my self too much this holiday and I had just paid the price. 

We rested up for some time in the sun and thought we should head back to the cottage for some lunch. So I put myself back together and struggled up the beach to the car. 

After a lunch of Turkey burgers we went to go see the aquarium at the oceanographic institute in Woods Hole. It was a fair drive there, but good time to relax myself. The aquarium was small but had some great exhibits of the local sea life. 

We even saw a couple of seals they were looking after. Woods Hole was a great little town but as much as I wanted to look around, I was just in too much pain walking, even with a crutch. Sam understood and we went home, taking a more scenic route back.

We sat out on the deck before it was time to go get some food. The first restaurant we went to was far too busy so opted for another, quieter one where we had a nice dinner and some pleasant dinner conversation. We returned to the cottage just in time to watch a great sunset.

It was getting a bit chilly by now so after we watched a few fireflies dancing about near the bushes, we turned in for the night. I hope I will feel better in the morning.