Saturday, December 29, 2007

Blog Move

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday week.

I will be shutting down my photo blog next week, but I WILL BE KEEPING MY ORIGINAL http://beachyscapecodcupboard.blogspot.com/ blog. All of my Cape Cod photos will be posted on my other blog from now on. (This blog was becoming rather neglected.)

I wish everyone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR and I'll see you over from now on over at Beachy's Cape Cod Cupboard. =)

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Wintery Beach

This photo was taken one frigid day this past January. With the weather we've had recently, it could easily have been this week! (Not my dog - but one of a pair that were totally enjoying their run that day. The way they were running in and out of the freezing water made ME shiver!)

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Cape Cod Snow

Do you see the "snow"? Look closely. Have you ever seen triangular-shaped snowflakes?

Cape Cod has been experiencing a winter snowstorm for about a week. But this is not snow, it's called "winter moth". HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of moths come out every evening. They measure less than one inch. When you drive down the street at night with your headlights on, it looks as through you're driving through a snowstorm! Sadly, these are the moths which were once the larvae that ate all the oak leaves this past spring. Too many repeated years of this, and the oak trees die. When we have this many moths in winter, it means a sad spring the following year for all the oak and other tree leaves these bugs devour. Hopefully we'll have a "cold snap" before they mate this winter. In the meantime, it's snowing moths!


Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Winter in Black & White

This Cape Cod church photo turned out looking like I had my camera setting on "black and white"! Funny how an overcast day, bare trees, and a white church translate into a non-colorful photo. (This church is undergoing some renovations, thus the black tar paper noticeable on the front.)

Friday, November 30, 2007

When Asked to Chaperone, Just Say Yes =)

A BUNCH of parents and I chaperoned some middle school students on a one-day trip to NYC.
It's a 5-6 hour drive from Cape Cod to Manhattan. We left at 6AM. Did the kids sleep on the bus? Of course not! =)

We arrived at noontime, and did the kids want to stop for lunch? Of course not! =)

We had 1 1/2 hours till the big show, so they wanted to sight-see and shop!

(ONLY in NY!) M&M Statues of Liberty

The city is all a bustle with Christmas displays.

Our main destination was Radio City Music Hall to see the 75th Anniversary showing of their Christmas Spectacular.

We were greeted inside by this 3-story chandelier. This photo in NO WAY does it justice!!!

The stage was aglow... all set for the show.

And did what to my wandering eyes should appear, but the Rockettes all dressed up as snazzy reindeer!

And Santa made his appearance for his part of the show.

And a stunning creche, complete with live animals (including camels!) on the stage.

And we had to complete the trip with a stroll past the famous Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree, which was lit on national television less than 24 hours prior. Now I'd swear there were more tourists here flashing their cameras than there were lights on this tree! Oh yes... the return trip... we left at 6:45pm and arrived home at 1AM. Did the kids sleep on the way home? OF COURSE NOT! lol

Monday, November 26, 2007

Room with a view?

Room for rent. (Not really.)
Southern exposure.
Natural air-conditioning.
No neighbors.
Sea view. (If it's a sea of green, you mean.)
Stone exterior.
Spanish tile roof.
A "Castle in the Clouds". (Literally. In New Hampshire.)

Thursday, November 22, 2007

The Gardener of the Family

This is a bit of a repeat from my other blog, but I wanted to show you the fruits of my brother-in-law's labors. His shop is a garden center of sorts, and he does the landscaping where his shop is located. These photos were taken this past May.

He likes to put his statues often in expected places. This one is under a set of wooden stairs.

This used to be a water fountain, with water tumbling from the barrel. The pool cracked beyond repair, so brother-in-law turned it into a large planter with all sort of lupins and bulbs.

More "beneath stairs" statuary.

This is as risque as it gets, folks. He has some repro ancient Roman statuettes which I dare not post on my blog! heehee

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Garden Party

One windy day, and a photographer who succumbed to photo-taking through a window, produced these photos. Disclaimer: the feeder is cock-eyed due to the wind, and the photos are somewhat blurred due to the windowpane (each time I ventured out to take photos, the birds refused to feed until I went back inside)!

One red-breasted nuthatch and one titmouse.

Little red-breasted nuthatch chooses his treat.

Bashful chickadee and persistent red-breasted nuthatch.

Surprised finish and stunned titmouse.

Surprised finch, persistent red-breasted nuthatch, and pensive chickadee.

One patient female downy woodpecker. (We also had a camera-shy white-breasted nuthatch.) Now I am patiently waiting the return of a red-bellied woodpecker. What a fabulous bird to photograph. I purchased more suet yesterday, so I anticipate his return shortly. =)

Sunday, November 18, 2007

A Few Steps from the Beach

Actually about one mile from the beach is our gourmet shop. I took these photos last summer.

What was supposed to be a temporary window display has become a local landmark. These collanders have appeared elsewhere on the web in the past (and the photos were not mine). They require quite a bit of restocking (that would be my job). =) At the moment, the collanders have been overcome by Christmas treats and foods sharing space in the same window. I promise they will return again next spring, just like the daffodils outside the window!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Art in the Sky and on the Sand

More beach photos, sans the ocean. I made an attempt to view this particular beach's surroundings on their artistic merits. These trees stand just behind the sanddunes.


On this particular day, the only footprints in the sand (other than my own and my toddler's) were pawprints. They weren't from someone walking a dog, as there were no other footprints. I'm guessing these were racoon prints, or perhaps they were made by a red fox (the foxes are notorious for staking out tiny prey at dusk on the beaches).


Part of a horseshoe crab shell.

A skate egg case. These have the nickname "Mermaid's Purse".

This leaf was resting on a moon snail shell. All I could think of when I saw this was a helmet from the movie "Laurence of Arabia"!