If You're Fond of Sand Dunes...

So begins one of my favorite old songs by Patti Page. I can still hear my father singing it all around the house when I was a child.

I am blessed to live fairly close to Cape Cod, or as we New Englanders call it, "The Cape." I am within a few hours’ drive and it is a sure sign if you are a tourist if you refer to it as Cape Cod. Since summer is beginning to wane here in Massachusetts I thought I would give you a taste of Old Cape Cod.

I am lucky enough to live close to the sea and the boats that will take you to either of the outer islands, beautiful Martha's Vineyard and quaint Nantucket. There is nothing like these two islands, filled with history and charm. This July I went over to 'the vineyard' for a few, gorgeous sun-filled days and reveled in a much slower pace.







View from the hotel overlooking Vineyard Haven. Ahhh, I could get used to this life very easily!

Days were spent biking from one end of the island to the other, picnicking in the park next to the Inkwell gazebo and grand Victorian houses dressed up in their finest colors to welcome visitors.



I love the tiny Gingerbread Houses at Oak Bluffs.

"Oak Bluffs became a Mecca for travelers from around the world as early as the beginning of the 1800‘s. It also became a center of the thriving 19th century Methodist movement.

In the area known now as the Martha's Vineyard Campground Meeting Association (MVCMA) or “The Campground“, members of the Methodist church would come each summer to pitch tents and have open air meetings. As these meetings became more and more popular, returning visitors began replacing the tents with small wooden buildings generally known now as Gingerbread Cottages. This name originated from the ornate molding and bright colors that these summer homes were painted and because of their quaint, almost storybook look. With the Methodist camp meetings taking place in the center, the campground expanded in a circular pattern around the meeting area until hundreds of the small cottages sprang up. Later a more permanent structure was built, called the Tabernacle. This covered open sided structure allowed speakers and meeting attendees to weather the elements and gave rise to a community center which is still in use today.

The campground Gingerbread cottages are cherished historic landmarks as well as very expensive real estate. Many are still family owned and passed on generation to generation." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Bluffs,_Massachusetts

I defy anyone to say that the sunsets at Menemsha beach are not some of the most beautiful you have ever seen. This does not even begin to do it justice.

Scores of vacationers and locals gather at the beach, hours before evenings end. It is not only a tradition but an event! No PB&J sandwiches for these hardy souls. Folks set up table lined with fresh lobster, glasses of wine, and of course, cameras ready to snap the sun as she tickles the horizon. She seems to hang there for a moment, saying her last good-byes to the day, before she slips below the surface.

While at Menemsha waiting for the sun to set I spotted this young boy with a starfish. I hope he threw it back in the ocean after he shared his find with his friend.










I love lighthouses! This is Telegraph Hill on East Chop, Martha's Vineyard.


This lighthouse stands off shore at Aguinnah, also known as Gay Head.

















Stumbled upon this lovely shop while lazily window shopping on the last day. It is off a side street in Vineyard Haven and the garden that led to the shop was full of delightful statues.


Statue of smiling Buddha.

Statue of Ganesha


















Saw these scenes while biking to Edgartown. It was worth it to stop and capture them on camera.





























Heading home on the ferry...I can't wait to return.














The sun sets on a beautiful vacation!

Sit back, relax and have a listen to Patti Page sing.

Old Cape Cod

If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air
Quaint little villages here and there
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod

If you like the taste of a lobster stew
Served by a window with an ocean view
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod

Winding roads that seem to beckon you
Miles of green beneath a sky of blue
Church bells chimin' on a Sunday morn
Remind you of the town where you were born

If you spend an evening you'll want to stay
Watching the moonlight on Cape Cod Bay
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod

If you spend an evening you'll want to stay
Watching the moonlight on Cape Cod Bay
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod

[From her album: 'Greatest Hits' (Columbia)]